Columbus Blue Jackets: Trades Change Defensive Plans

Bringing in two talented veteran defensemen suddenly creates a logjam on the blue line in Columbus. What do Severson and Provorov mean for some of the other players on this team?

The first thought I had when each of these trades were made was, that this buys the Jackets time to develop their prospects further. Provorov has two years remaining on his deal, which is perfect in my opinion. Stanislav Svozil should be ready to compete for a job in 2024, and there will be a spot for him behind Werenski and Provorov, should things remain the same. Denton Mateychuk will hopefully come along in 2025, and take Provorov’s place.

Things changed big time down the right side, however. I was a little bit surprised to see them sign Severson for a full 8-year term, given the depth they already have there, and the prospects on the way. David Jiricek looks really close to being NHL ready, and Corson Ceulemans will eventually need a spot as well.

But even discounting those two this season, the right side for the Jackets is very crowded. Severson joins Adam Boqvist, Andrew Peeke, Erik Gudbranson, and Nick Blankenburg; giving them five players battling for three jobs (make it six, if you count Jiricek). Obviously, much like the forward group for the Jackets, something has to give here.

Who are the odd men out? Yes, I said men. I think they could trade two of these guys away, hopefully eyeing an upgrade somewhere else in the lineup (dare we say, a top-two line center?). I see the depth chart like this:

Werenski – Boqvist

Provorov – Severson

Bean – Gudbranson

Peeke, Blankenburg, Jiricek, Berni

You can re-arrange the top-four however you want, but I feel like those are the guys who are going to carry most of the heavy minutes for this team. Erik Gudbranson’s contract means he’ll definitely anchor that third pairing, and I pencil in Jake Bean because, well, he’s the best remaining LHD they have.

Of the extras, if Jiricek comes to camp and shows that he’s ready for a big time role on this team, that could spell doom for Adam Boqvist. Boqvist actually paired really well with Werenski and they showed out solid – even defensively – in their brief early season run together. So, if giving Jiricek another year to marinate is the worst thing that happens, I think they will be okay.

Nick Blankenburg, in my opinion, is the perfect 7th man to keep around. He’s a spark plug that you can slot into the lineup on any pairing, and he’ll bring energy and two-way swagger. He’s even shown that he can play on the left side – something none of the other right hand shooters were able to do last year. Tim Berni stood in and did a nice job giving this team minutes this last season, but let’s face it – if he’s on the roster in any premier role, we’re probably facing another lottery pick type season.