This was supposed to be the Columbus Blue Jackets’ latest summer of significant change, with a laundry list of upgrades and expenditures that general manager Don Waddell wanted to pursue to help his promising,

Veteran Ivan Provorov, 28, decided to avoid free agency on Monday afternoon, with the defenseman finalizing a seven-year extension worth $8.5 million annually to remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets,

According to Pierre LeBrun and Aaron Portzline, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ivan Provorov had extended negotiations over the weekend that went deep into Sunday. Waddell said in a radio interview today that they talked until midnight on Sunday night.