Columbus Blue Jackets: Josh Anderson Reportedly Requests Trade
Josh Anderson has reportedly requested a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday morning, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet says.
Friedman released an article at 10:38 a.m. EST on Thursday, stating that Josh Anderson requested a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets, despite the CBJ saying “that has not been conveyed to them.”
General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Friedman that the “trade request is news to me.” He also added that they have no intention of trading Josh Anderson.
This is honestly a really confusing situation that adds to an already tense set of negotiations that have been going on this entire offseason. And with the Blue Jackets just over a week away from starting the NHL season, this is a very large and unnecessary distraction.
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Friedman said that Darren Ferris, the agent of Josh Anderson, declined to comment on the situation. This could be for a number of reasons, the main being that Anderson did not actually request a trade from the team and that this was purposefully leaked to the media to try to gain some leverage (don’t think that’s going to work).
Another possibility in this fiasco could be that Anderson did actually put in the trade request, but Jarmo is trying to keep it quiet so if they do indeed trade him (to Colorado, for example), they can get a better deal than they would get if it’s completely known that he wants out.
Either way, it’s horrible for both sides. The Blue Jackets would love to have Anderson on the team for this season due to his physicality and the lineup flexibility he brings to the table. Anderson would love to stay on the playoff team that he has a solid position on, and I would assume he would love not to be traded to the Colorado Avalanche, the worst team in the entire NHL and a mess in their own right due to Joe Sakic.
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Whatever the truth and resolution ends up being, the CBJ-Anderson relationship is obviously not healthy in the slightest and the two parties will probably not be together for much longer. And Matt Duchene might be flying into Columbus sooner rather than later.