# Blue Jackets sign Mathieu Olivier to a 6-year, $18 million contract extension

  
**AP News**

Mathieu Olivier, left, and Dan Rose celebrate after winning the Stanley Cup at the National Hockey League in Toronto, Canada, on Monday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/James Abstraction)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Blue Jackets signed a six-year, $18 million contract extension to the former Minnesota Wild player Mathieu Olivier, the team announced on Thursday.  
  

Olivier, 28, had been with the Blue Jackets for 10 months, playing in 15 games in 2024-25. He was a free agent after the season and came to the team in a trade deal with the Philadelphia Flyers in January.  
  

“Mathieu has been an integral member of our team since joining our organization in 2024-25,” Blue Jackets general manager Bob Palmer said in a release. “He was a consistent player for the team throughout the season and has earned a spot on our 2025-26 roster.”  
  

The 2024-25 season was Olivier’s first with the Blue Jackets. The team declined to extend him in 2023 because it believed he was too young to play full games in the NHL, Palmer said.  
  

Olivier was a big reason the Blue Jackets advanced to the Stanley Cup. He was a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Minnesota Wild and is a seven-time Stanley Cup playoff participant.  
  

The 2024-25 season started with Olivier playing on the wing. He moved to the wing in 2025-26. He is expected to move back to the wing in the upcoming season.  
  

The contract extension was signed between the team and Olivier via a two-year expansion and a four-year extension, Palmer said. It will include salary protection and a five-year cap relief.  
  

The expansion agreement will add $12.5 million over two years, the team said. The four-year extension is $3.4 million over four years.  
  

The contract includes a $3 million guaranteed base salary. There are two cap relief provisions: one that limits the team’s salary to $3 million over the first year of the contract and one that limits the team’s salary to $7 million over the second year of the contract.  
  

The team has not yet made a decision on whether to move Olivier to the wing or the wing.  
  

The team also signed a two-year contract agreement with U.S. Olympic team-member Justin Toomey to play in the 2025-26 season, Palmer said. Toomey will also have the ability to move between positions.  
  

The contract is set to expire on March 12, Palmer said. The off-season will feature free agent signings.  
  

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**AP News**
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