The Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t giving up on James Malatesta just yet. The team signed the 5-foot-9 winger to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2026-27 season, keeping the 24-year-old in the organization as he continues to develop a role that blends physicality with occasional scoring flashes.
The deal breaks down to $850,000 at the NHL level and $95,000 in the AHL, according to PuckPedia. Malatesta spent all of last season with the Cleveland Monsters, never getting the call to Columbus despite being one of the most aggressive players on the ice night after night.
His stat line won’t jump off the page — 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points in 57 games. But the 190-pound forward made his presence felt in other ways. He led the Monsters with 87 penalty minutes, a continuation of a pattern that has defined his professional career.
Why the Blue Jackets Are Betting on Grit
Over the last three AHL seasons, Malatesta has racked up 215 penalty minutes in 154 games. That’s the highest total on the Monsters in that stretch and more than 50 minutes ahead of the next-closest player, Roman Ahcan. The team has not confirmed whether they view him primarily as a bottom-six NHL option, but his willingness to throw hits and drop the gloves has clearly kept him on their radar.
He did get a taste of the big league. In 13 career NHL games with Columbus over the previous two seasons, Malatesta scored two goals and added two assists, along with five penalty minutes and 47 hits. Those numbers suggest an energy player who can handle himself against bigger opponents.
Fans online have noted the contrast between his QMJHL production and his professional output. With the Quebec Remparts from 2020 to 2023, Malatesta tallied 142 points in 155 games, the third-most by any Remparts player in that window behind Theo Rochette and Zachary Bolduc. That offensive upside hasn’t translated consistently yet, but the Blue Jackets appear willing to be patient.
What the Extension Means
The one-year deal gives Malatesta another runway to refine his game in Cleveland while staying connected to the NHL roster. He’ll turn 25 early next season, and the clock is ticking for him to prove he can be more than an AHL enforcer. But his physical style — which helped him lead the Monsters in penalty minutes each of the last three years — gives him a distinct identity that could carve out a niche in Columbus’s bottom six.
For now, the message from the organization is clear: keep hitting, keep fighting, and keep earning another look.
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