Five questions about the Blue Jackets' trade deadline options
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Jarmo Kekalainen’s phone is about to start blowing up with calls and texts from other NHL general managers.
The Blue Jackets GM has likely fielded trade inquiries most of this season, but the March 3 trade deadline is now just three weeks away. Positioned at the bottom of the league’s standings, Columbus could be busy before the 3 p.m. deadline arrives that day.
Here are five questions about the Blue Jackets’ deadline options:
What will the Columbus Blue Jackets seek from deadline deals?
Like most sellers, the Blue Jackets will most likely make available players who are considered “rentals” and will be offered draft picks and/or prospects in return. Assuming they can finagle additional picks in the first or second round of the next two drafts, that would give Columbus an enviable position going into this year’s draft in late June.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen is sitting on eight picks this year — including additional third- and fourth-round selections from the Oliver Bjorkstrand trade with the Seattle Kraken — and that’s a great number for a talented scouting staff. Adding more picks to the one they’re already poised to land in the top three could give Kekalainen’s restoration plan even more juice than it’s gotten the past two drafts.
The Blue Jackets could also opt to color outside the box by using draft capital or prospects to add NHL-caliber pieces from non-contending teams for next year’s roster, but that would be a surprise.
Who will the Columbus Blue Jackets most likely trade?
Three names come to mind: defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, forward Gustav Nyquist and goalie Joonas Korpisalo. All three are unsigned beyond this season and will become unrestricted free agents in July if not signed to extensions.
Gavrikov, who’s 27 and just entering his NHL prime at 254 games, is currently drawing the most interest. His name has been connected to the Edmonton Oilers, but other teams have also kicked the tires. Nyquist was another rental option expected to draw a solid return, but his value was damaged by a shoulder injury that's expected to keep him out the remainder of the regular season.
Korpisalo would probably have a contract extension already if it weren’t for Elvis Merzlikins being signed four more years at $5.4 million per season and rookie Daniil Tarasov showing he’s ready for an NHL role. Coming off hip surgery, Korpisalo is making just $1.3 million on a one-year deal and is having an impressive rebound season. He rarely gets mentioned by NHL insiders in trade speculation, but rental goaltending depth can be valuable for teams planning to make a long playoff run.
Should the Columbus Blue Jackets consider trading Boone Jenner?
Only if the return is something Kekalainen and crew couldn’t turn down.
Jenner is the Blue Jackets’ captain, top center and best option to win faceoffs by a mile. Trading him would signal a true shift from “quick reset” to “rebuilding” mode, but a solid argument could be made that it’s already reached that point.
Trading Jenner would send shockwaves through the locker room, so it’s not likely. That being said, he has three years remaining on a contract that carries an economical $3.75 million cap hit and there’s 30-goal potential if he can stay healthy for a full season.
Return offers could be interesting if the Blue Jackets are open to listening.
Should the Columbus Blue Jackets consider trading Patrik Laine?
Barring a large overpay, not at this year’s deadline.
Laine is one of the most enigmatic players in the NHL and still possesses a ton of offensive ability when he’s locked into a hot streak. He’s also prone to struggles that include dry spells, costly turnovers and injuries that have slowed him the past two seasons.
It’s worth hanging onto him to see if chemistry develops between Laine and Johnny Gaudreau in the season’s final 31 games, but the Finnish forward’s inconsistent play keeps getting harder to gloss over. Dealing Laine at the deadline would be “selling low” unless he strings together a long scoring streak and Kekalainen is too shrewd of a trade negotiator to make that decision.
Should an acceptable offer for Laine arise, expect it to happen in the offseason.
Should the Columbus Blue Jackets consider other trade options?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer includes the fact they came out of the “bye” week last in the NHL at 15-32-4 (34 points) and shouldn’t have many “untouchable” players or prospects.
Could gritty bottom-six center Sean Kuraly, a homegrown guy, generate enough interest to produce an acceptable return? How about Jack Roslovic, another homegrown forward who topped 20 goals last season?
Jakub Voracek is another interesting case.
He’s expected to miss the remainder of the season due to the lingering effects from too many concussions, which could make his $8.25 million cap hit a valuable commodity for cap-crunched contenders needing space via the long-term injured reserve.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Five questions about Columbus Blue Jackets trade options
