Blue Jackets Ink R.J. Umberger to Four-Year Deal

[Thrillhouse]

COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Columbus Blue Jackets signed center R.J. Umberger to a four-year contract, club General Manager Scott Howson announced today. Last month, Umberger was acquired by Columbus with a fourth round pick (118th overall) in the 2008 Entry Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a first round pick (19th overall) and a third round pick (67th overall) in the same draft.

Umberger, 26, is a three-year NHL veteran who has registered 49 goals and 67 assists for 116 points with 78 penalty minutes in 228 career games with the Flyers. He collected 13-37-50 with 19 penalty minutes in 74 games in 2007-08, setting career highs in assists and points. He added 11-5-16 and 12 penalty minutes in 22 playoff games to help the Flyers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

"Acquiring R.J. last month was an important first step in our efforts to improve the hockey club this summer and we are pleased that he will be a part of our organization for the next four years," said Howson. "He is a competitive, hard-working player who will add versatility to our top six forwards."

Umberger played three seasons at Ohio State University from 2000-03, collecting 58-71-129 and 65 penalty minutes in 112 games. During his freshman season in 2000-01, he registered 14-23-37 with 18 penalty minutes in 32 games en route to being named the CCHA Rookie of the Year. The following year, he led the Buckeyes in goals, assists and points with 18-21-39 in 37 games. He netted a career-high 26-27-53 with 16 penalty minutes in 43 games in 2002-03 to earn CCHA First All-Star Team and NCAA West Second All-American Team honors.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native was Vancouver's first pick, 16th overall, in the 2001 Entry Draft. Prior to his arrival at Ohio State, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder played two years as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program from 1998-00. He played for Team USA at the 2001 and 2002 World Junior Championships, tallying 3-6-9 in 14 games as the team compiled a combined record of 9-3-2.

[AVALANCHE FAN]

Thats a dumb move they dont even know how the guy is gonna work out yet!

[chilly666]

what's the rule now?? one good year and you get vastly overpaid?? seeing what columbus has done this offseason really makes me wonde about the commitment to the city and the team in general.

commodore - way overpaid (probably bought out in 2-3 years)
tytuin, backman - two suckie d-man that are both overpaid and will be gone after this year or next
huselius - his disappearing acts not worth that many years or amount of money.

howson could/should be gone at the end of this year when columbus finishs in the cellar of the western conference and maybe the league.

[lampington]

good move by columbus. being a flyers fan I've watched RJ turn into a great 2 way player. He brings more than just points as a forward.

I strongly beleive if not for the Jeff Carter deal, RJ would have gotten a long term from Philly.

[Juha82]

Originally Posted by chilly666

what's the rule now?? one good year and you get vastly overpaid?? seeing what columbus has done this offseason really makes me wonde about the commitment to the city and the team in general.

commodore - way overpaid (probably bought out in 2-3 years)
tytuin, backman - two suckie d-man that are both overpaid and will be gone after this year or next
huselius - his disappearing acts not worth that many years or amount of money.

howson could/should be gone at the end of this year when columbus finishs in the cellar of the western conference and maybe the league.

Backman is a soft but how about Tyutin who gives still some good/great hits?
Backman is a player who isn't all the important when starts the playoffs.
Tyutin is a good hitter in my mind, so he isn't soft.
A nice pick from Columbus.

[chilly666]

Originally Posted by Juha82

Backman is a soft but how about Tyutin who gives still some good/great hits?
Backman is a player who isn't all the important when starts the playoffs.
Tyutin is a good hitter in my mind, so he isn't soft.
A nice pick from Columbus.

yeah but they gave up zherdev who could score over 40 if playin with a good center and proper motivation.

[Juha82]

Zherdev could make 40 goal or more??
I think he is one of the worst player in the NHL as he misses a lot of changes(losing the pucks etch, no working at all and how about his emotion/heart?).

[blackngold]

4 years
3.75 per

[MattBurger]

I don't see anything wrong with this signing. Umberger's only 26 and still has the potential to improve. He's always showed that he can play in all three zones effectively, and last season he was rewarded for his hard work and smart play by acheiving his highest single-season point total.

The price isn't bad either, considering what some other players have gotten this off-season.

[goaliefighter]

I think they over-valued him a lil bit too much but we have definitely seen worse this FA period. Let's see how he does down there. He is definitely a top 6 forward that has some heart, a lil bit of grit, good in every zone and situation and he could be very good on their PP if they just show him the front of the net. Good move by Columbus but I would've only signed him for 2 most likely, just to make sure we are paying for the right person.

[BStreetBullies]

Playing under the right coach, this guy can be great. His breakout speed is unbelievable, he has some size and strength. He is a beast and can only get better under Hitchcock, I'm excited to see how good this guy gets. Of course he has his vices, apparently he is quite full of himself, with the whole deal with Vancouver, and then when he had trouble douching his vag to remove the sand from it bc of his demotion to the 4th line, but this kid has loads of potential, and the BJ's took a gamble by signing him big, like I said, it will be fun to see how he develops.

[Isles4life]

I hope for the Jackets sake Umberger can be an offensive force and not just a solid 2-way forward. That would justify the contract, but I think he's good guy to sign long-term.