In the Columbus Blue Jackets’ second move of the day, forward Lauri Korpikoski arrives in Columbus from Dallas. The Jackets traded young defensemen Dillon Heatherington in exchange for the depth forward.
In the second and final trade of the day, the Columbus Blue Jackets added forward Lauri Korpikoski to the roster. The 30-year-old forward comes from the Dallas Stars in exchange for minor leaguer Dillon Heatherington in the last move of the day for the Jackets.
Korpikoski comes to the Jackets as a third line forward and brings needed depth. He has played in 60 of the Stars’ 63 games this season and put up 8-12-20. Lauri just played his 600th career game and was the 19th overall draft pick by the New York Rangers in 2004.
Dillon Heatherington has been in Cleveland for the last two seasons and has been hurt for part of this season. Heatherington was drafted 50th overall in the 2013 draft. The 21 year old defenseman has the ability to make an impact on an NHL roster down the road, a road that now runs through Texas.
Related Story: Columbus Adds D Kyle Quincey at Deadline
Lauri comes to the Jackets as a projected 3rd or 4th line forward. The Jackets talked about how they wanted to add some depth at the trade deadline and have done so. Both Korpikoski and Quincey are good depth players that come at a good price. The are also unrestricted free agents following this season with minimal cap hit.
Korpikoski though creates a problem for the fans. WE HAVE TWO KORPI’S NOW!!! Alright 5th liners, let us know what we should do about this conundrum. Comment below with your ideas on how to handle this.
Welcome to Columbus Lauri Korpikoski!