NHL Trade Deadline: 4 Realistic Possibilities for Blue Jackets

The NHL trade deadline is on March 21, and the Columbus Blue Jackets could be one of the busier teams in the league over the next few weeks. They are one of 13 organizations that have less than a 10 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to MoneyPuck.com, and of those teams, only the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings have more cap space to play with.

While the Sabres have already offloaded their biggest trade chip in Jack Eichel and the Red Wings don’t have much in the way of rentals available—Nick Leddy is probably their most attractive rental, for context—Columbus has a handful of mid-level skaters that contenders might find intriguing.

It’s likely that the league’s upper echelon of teams will look to make some splashes between now and the deadline, and the Blue Jackets are uniquely positioned.

They have a few players who could fit as rentals. They have a handful of skaters who have a bit of term left that might be moved. And they also have that aforementioned cap space, which could allow them to facilitate a trade for a cap-strapped team such as the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning or Colorado Avalanche.

Here we’re going to look at some realistic trade possibilities that the Blue Jackets could explore between now and March 21. We aren’t going to be suggesting a second-round pick for Connor McDavid because that isn’t realistic.

We’re also going to stray away from any Patrik Laine chatter because the team has made it pretty clear that the preference would be to keep him. And only two currently playoff teams (the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators) could eat his $7.5 million cap hit without moving significant money back.

Plus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen recently explained to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic that he’s not interested in “rebuilding” the Blue Jackets; that calling the least year a reset wasn’t just semantics.

With that in mind, here are a few moves that could make sense for Columbus.

Joonas Korpisalo

The Blue Jackets would have liked to see Joonas Korpisalo play better this season for a handful of reasons. He’s been saddled with eight of Columbus’ losses despite only appearing in 18 contests, and his play has left a lot to be desired.

So far this season, 50 netminders have seen action in 15 games or more. Among those netminders, Korpisalo’s GSAA of minus-12.23 ranks 49th. Only Philipp Grubauer has been worse for the expansion Seattle Kraken.

If you’re going to find trade value for Korpisalo, you are going to need to bring a pretty strong microscope. It’d be fair to point out that no team in the NHL gives up more shots per game than the Blue Jackets. Yet Korpisalo has done virtually nothing to prove to contending teams that he’d be worth gambling on, even for a lower-round pick.

Could you imagine the Washington Capitals trotting out Korpisalo for a playoff game after how he’s performed for the Blue Jackets this season? Odds seem against the 27-year-old landing somewhere like that as a rental.

Instead, he could have value as a shot-in-the-dark future for a general manager who’s looking to squeeze some value out of a fourth- or fifth-round pick or C-level prospect. Those kinds of selections don’t turn into NHL-caliber talent often, so perhaps Korpisalo could intrigue someone there.

Hopes of him fetching a second- or third-round pick are long gone, however.

Gustav Nyquist

Trading Gustav Nyquist could be a tricky proposition for Kekalainen and Co. The longtime GM has made it crystal clear that he doesn’t intend to strip the Blue Jackets roster down to the floorboards. He wants to at least stick around in games, even if that means missing out on possible top-five picks in the draft.

Veterans like Nyquist are integral as the Blue Jackets try to maintain a winning culture while hovering around the .500 mark. Once losing becomes part of a team’s DNA and acceptable, it can take years to get rid of. Nyquist alone isn’t holding that stink back, but his work ethic during practices and off the ice gives young players like Cole Sillinger an example to follow. A high bar to clear, if you will.

Is that more important to Columbus than another selection in the first two rounds of one of the next two drafts? Nyquist isn’t a rental and has another year on his deal, which carries a $5.5 million cap hit.

If the Blue Jackets ate half of that salary, a first-round pick from a high-end team looking to win a Stanley Cup this year or next wouldn’t be out of the question. Trading Nyquist would leave a void in terms of professionalism, however.

He’s a realistic trade target because if a contender comes knocking with B-range futures, the Blue Jackets would almost have to listen. It’d be difficult to see a pro of his caliber skating elsewhere in 2022-23, however.

Dean Kukan

You hear it every year at the trade deadline, and this season won’t be much different: defensive depth is important during the grind of a deep playoff run. Dean Kukan isn’t the most noteworthy name we’re mentioning here, and you’re not going to see him on TSN’s trade big board down the stretch.

Still, this is a player who has been able to step into the lineup when needed for the Blue Jackets and keep his head above water for the most part. On stronger Columbus teams, the blueliner was a solid enough possession player and not a drag at 5-on-5. That’s really all contending squads are looking for out of a No. 7 defenseman—what Kukan would likely be if traded.

He’s not going to do much in the offensive zone, as he has all of three goals and 10 assists in 84 contests over the last three campaigns, but for teams looking for that depth on the back end, Kukan could turn out to be a solid add in the case of injury or illness.

If you’re Columbus, however, is this the kind of useful player you want to trade away for low-end draft choices? This is why the trade deadline could get so interesting for the Blue Jackets. Sure, they have pieces they could move out, but fifth-round picks probably aren’t going to move the needle for this organization much in the future.