Blue Jackets Acquire Defenseman Ivan Provorov in 3-Team Trade

The Columbus Blue Jackets made their second big splash of the week, acquiring defenseman Ivan Provorov in a blockbuster three team trade on Tuesday.

Well then. After supposedly hiring Mike Babcock as their next head coach, the Jackets were quick to get started with their next bit of off-season business: solidifying their blueline. In acquiring Ivan Provorov, they take a big step in that direction.

Drafted 7th overall at the 2015 NHL Draft – one slot ahead of Zach Werenski – Provorov went to the Philadelphia Flyers with much anticipation. After a promising early start to his career, he fell off the radar a bit over the last couple of seasons, eventually leading to a separation between the two sides – which led to this trade from the Flyers’ end.

The Jackets ultimately send the pick they acquired from the LA Kings in the Vladislav Gavrikov/Joonas Korpisalo trade (#22 overall); as well as a conditional 2nd round pick in 2024 or 2025. The Kings themselves will retain 30% of Provorov’s deal, which leaves the Jackets on the hook for only 70% of his remaining two year contract, signed at an AAV of $6.75M.

In 7 seasons with the Flyers, Provorov is a veteran of 532 NHL games; with 65 goals and 217 career points to his credit. He’s stayed remarkably healthy thus far in his career, missing only 16 games due to injury thus far – something that is really appealing to those of us who followed this team this season.

With the Flyers this year, he played top pairing minutes – averaging over 23 per game under former CBJ bench boss John Tortorella. While his offensive numbers have taken a dip from their peak, he’s a solid puck mover, as well as an active defender in his own end. Overall, he’s exactly what the Jackets need for their second defense pairing – and, he’s coming into a role he’s probably far better suited for, as he has struggled with the burden of being a top-2 guy.

My gut feeling is, this is a pricy trade for the Jackets, but one that is made out of absolute necessity. Their defense was decimated with injuries last season. Provorov has been remarkably healthy throughout his career, and he brings a solid two-way presence to the table. With only two years remaining on his deal, the Jackets can now take their time with some of their younger prospects – and not be on the hook for an ugly contract beyond the 2024-25 season.

Ultimately, I like the trade from our perspective. The analytics crowd will have a field day with this one, but the Flyers as a whole were a mess last season, and this is a very talented player who needs a reset. If nothing else, the Jacket blue line will be far more experienced and difficult to play against next season. This doesn’t feel like the last move for this team as the offseason begins either – it just feels like the first domino to fall.