Five Big Name Columbus Blue Jackets Trade Options

The Columbus Blue Jackets need to build on an already impressive core of players.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are off to a fairly good start but they’ll need to add some players if they want to create a winning group of players who can go deep in the playoffs. In a vital year for the team’s future, winning means more than ever because that may be the only way to keep Artemi Panarin.

5.  Sam Reinhart

Sam Reinhart is in a difficult situation for the Buffalo Sabres, as he currently seems to slot in as the third line center of the future. Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt are projected to be stars for the Sabres and will be the main focus of the top two lines.

The 22-year old will be difficult to pry out of the hands of the Sabres, but it would certainly be possible with the pieces the Blue Jackets have in the reserves. So far through 14 games played, the center has a single goal and 7 assists for a total of 8 points.

A piece who could be used to start negotiations would be Sonny Milano, a winger who with the right linemates could tear up the NHL. He recently got center back to the AHL as a result of the return of Brandon Dubinsky. Ryan Murray is a pending RFA after this season, who could also be added into the mix to bolster the Buffalo defense behind rookie sensation Rasmus Dahlin.

Another interesting option would be trading Sergei Bobrovsky to the Sabres, as he would almost instantly put them in playoff contention. It would be difficult for them to re-sign him though.

4. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins could be a star in Columbus. The third line center for the Edmonton Oilers is stuck behind the NHL’s best player, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl. The 25-year-old has had a hot start with limited ice time two seasons in a row and is currently over a point per game through 13 games.

Unfortunately for Nugent-Hopkins, his goal scoring seems to be dropping off a bit from last season as he only has 3 goals but 11 assists to start the year. The center currently has three years left on his deal at a $6M  cap hit per season according to Capfriendly.com.

He’s one of the most skilled centers in the NHL despite his current third line role with Edmonton. On a majority of NHL teams, he’d certainly be a top line center or second line player at worst.

Another player to keep an eye on from Edmonton is former Columbus Blue Jackets almost draft pick Jesse Puljujarvi who Jarmo Kekalainen passed on for Pierre-Luc Dubois. It was rumored at the beginning of the season that the Oilers would shop veteran winger Milan Lucic, but it’s not a good fit for the Columbus Blue Jackets as he’s an underperforming, overpaid player on the decline.

Our Jason-Scott Greenberg mentioned Nugent-Hopkins in a potential Ryan Murray trade recently. This is another potential spot where Sonny Milano could thrive, but it would likely be a defenseman as the main piece for a trade with Edmonton. With Edmonton’s lackluster blue line, they’ll be less likely to be interested in forwards.

3. Tyler Johnson

Tyler Johnson is an interesting player to consider for the Columbus Blue Jackets. By far he has the most pure talent on this list to this point, however he often is a streaky player which is fairly common with Blue Jackets players. Luckily for Tampa Bay, they have plenty of talent to cover for his bad stints.

He’s off to a good start for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is currently being used as a winger on the second line according to RosterResource.com. Using a natural center like Johnson on the wing is almost a waste of talent.

With contracts such as Mikhail Sergachev, Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy coming up within the next two years, they’ll need to clear up some cap space in order to keep all their young stars. Tyler Johnson is the easiest player to move, with the ideal player for Tampa to trade being Alex Killorn however no one would likely want to take that contract.

They’ll get some relief from the expiration of the Ryan Callahan deal at the end of next season, however that won’t be enough on its own to fix their entire cap situation as Andrei Vasilevskiy will likely be one of the highest paid goalies in the NHL when he signs his next deal.

As of November 4th, Johnson has 5 goals and 4 assists for a total of 9 points in his first 11 games of the season. He’s currently 28 which would make him a veteran on the Columbus Blue Jackets, however that shouldn’t be a deterrent by any means.

1. William Nylander

William Nylander is the beginning of the downfall of the Toronto Maple Leafs due to the salary cap. He’s the first player who needs to be paid, but they’re unable to find the money to meet his demand for the long run.

The 22-year old is a pending restricted free agent who’s refused to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs because general manager Kyle Dubas reportedly expects him to take a pay cut to win now and get his money later in his career. Unfortunately for Nylander, he’s currently a year away from salary arbitration which could’ve prevented this entire situation.

The Canadian born winger was drafted eighth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the year the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted forward Sonny Milano sixteenth overall. Since then, Nylander has put up two seasons with over sixty points in two career full NHL seasons.

If acquired, Nylander would almost certainly contend with Artemi Panarin for being the top forward on the Columbus Blue Jackets. With Nylander’s status as a restricted free agent, he’d also be required to stick around with the team for quite a while, unlike Panarin.

Adding Nylander to an already talented top six would solidify the Blue Jackets as a regular playoff contending team. The longer he holds out, the cheaper the price to acquire Nylander would be.

With the division rival Carolina Hurricanes being rumored as a potential landing spot for the forward, it would be a good idea to try to prevent him from ending up there and solidifying an already strong offense.