Danton Heinen hasn't reported to Cleveland, weighs future

This one came from the guys who know the Blue Jackets best, and they posted it within minutes of each other Tuesday night.

Aaron Portzline

@Aportzline

#CBJ F Danton Heinen did not report immediately to AHL Cleveland last week after clearing waivers. Heinen, 31, is said to be pondering next steps in his career, and the Blue Jackets are giving him time and space to make his decision.

Read that carefully. Nobody is saying retirement, nobody is saying Europe, nobody is saying he wants a trade. The language is "pondering next steps," and Columbus isn't forcing a ruling on a guy who was in their lineup 2 weeks ago. A second beat writer had the same picture and hinted there's more coming.

Brian Hedger

@BrianHedger

Danton Heinen hasn't reported to AHL Cleveland and I've heard, he's pondering the next steps of his career while the Blue Jackets give him time to do so. Stay tuned on this front. #CBJ

Here's how it got here. The Blue Jackets put Heinen on waivers on November 4 after he went 0-for-everything to start the year: 0 goals, 0 assists and a -2 in 10 games, averaging about 10 minutes a night. Nobody claimed him on November 5, which under normal circumstances means a bus ride to Cleveland and a stint with the Monsters. Instead, he just hasn't shown up.

That's a weird spot for a guy with his résumé. Heinen is a 2014 4th-round pick of the Bruins, 116th overall, who turned into a legit NHL middle-6 guy. He's played 612 NHL games for Boston, Anaheim, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and Columbus, with 102 goals and 253 points. He's had 5 seasons with double-digit goals. That's not a career that ends with a quiet send-down to the AHL. That's the problem, though. When you're 31 and a 10-game slump gets you waived, the next stop is the decision point.

Columbus clearly liked him enough to bring him back. They got him from Pittsburgh on December 29, 2025, he put up 10 points in 33 games down the stretch, and GM Don Waddell said he "earned increased responsibility." Then in July they gave him a 1-year, two-way deal worth $1 million at the NHL level. The two-way part is the kicker. His minors salary is reportedly $550,000, so heading to Cleveland means a big pay cut on top of the demotion.

So what's next? The options are pretty much what you'd expect. He could report to Cleveland and try to play his way back up, the two sides could work out a contract termination so he can try Europe, or he could hang them up. Columbus giving him "time and space" reads like a team that respects a vet and isn't going to suspend him for not reporting right away. Both beat writers are saying stay tuned, and they're the ones to watch for the answer.