Olivier signs 6-year, $18 million contract with Blue Jackets

Mathieu Olivier signed a 6-year, $18 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. It has an average annual value of $3 million through the 2030-31 season.

The 28-year-old forward could have been an unrestricted free agent after this season. He has 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 61 games.

“Mathieu Olivier has emerged as a key contributor on and off the ice thanks to his work ethic, dedication, leadership and other intangibles that are critical to a team’s success,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said. “Ensuring that Mathieu remains a Blue Jacket was a priority for us and we are ecstatic that he and his family will be part of our Blue Jackets family for many years.”

Signed by the Nashville Predators as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2019, Olivier has 55 points (25 goals, 30 assists) in 229 regular-season games for the Blue Jackets and Predators and no points in five Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was traded to Columbus by Nashville on June 30, 2022, for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The Blue Jackets (30-23-8) visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SCRIPPS), their final game before the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday at 3 p.m. ET. They hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the New York Rangers.