Ryan Dzingel became the fourth pending unrestricted free agent on the Columbus Blue Jackets when he was acquired Saturday from the Ottawa Senators, but Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he's hoping to keep the winger beyond this season.

“He is definitely one of those players that we have identified as a candidate to stay here into the future," Kekalainen said Sunday. "We did not just acquire him to be a rental.”

Dzingel, who was acquired for Anthony Duclair and two second-round picks, said Sunday he's open to staying in Columbus. 

"There’s a very high chance of that if they want me,” Dzingel said of an extension.

The 26-year-old has 22 goals and 44 points while playing 57 games this season. He’s one goal away from trying his career-high of 23 goals in a season and has already set a career mark in points.

Dzingel is currently slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July and carries a $1.8 million cap hit.

The Blue Jackets added a fifth pending free agent to their 23-man roster on Monday, acquiring goaltender Keith Kinkaid from the New Jersey Devils. Kinkaid joined Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Sergei Bobrovsky and Dzingel as players who could walk for nothing in free agency.

Dzingel has 62 goals and 126 points over the course of his career with the Senators, including back-to-back 20-goal seasons.

He was drafted by the Senators in the seventh round (204th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.