Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen dropped strong hints that the club would stop negotiating with Johansen's agent once training camp begins on Thursday, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen dropped strong hints that the club would stop negotiating with Johansen's agent once training camp begins on Thursday, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Analysis:

Meanwhile, club president John Davidson described agent Kurt Overhardt's contract proposals as "embarrassing" and "absurd", and said that while the Jackets are using Matt Duchesne's bridge deal as a reasonable point of comparison, Overhardt has been tossing around names like Stamkos and Toews. Public statements like these are clearly a negotiating tactic, but the Jackets do have enough depth at center that they could try to survive the loss of Johansen, last season's top scorer, by shifting Boone Jenner into the middle or possibly giving a prospect like Alexander Wennberg a long look.