The Blue Jackets secured the future of their blue line, bringing back Ivan Provorov on a seven-year contract, but did they overpay?

On paper, it feels almost impossible to spin this immediate albatross in any positive light. The problem is the cost, at $8.5 million AAV.

Ivan Provorov signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $8.5 million. The 28-year-old defenseman had 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) in 82 games for the Blue Jackets last season. He could have become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday.