We are starting to see movement around the NHL as the off-season gets under way. Despite being talked about as one of the busiest teams behind the scenes, the Columbus Blue Jackets still haven't gotten any work done. At some point, that's going to change. One look at Don Waddell's shaping of the Carolina Hurricanes is proof that the Jackets may be in for a busy summer of trades.
It's important to start right from the beginning, when we compare Waddell's history with the present. He was hired by the Hurricanes as their General Manager in May of 2018. At the time, their organization was stagnant, having missed the playoffs for 9 straight seasons. They had a few good young pieces in the system, but overall things were stale and needed a lot of work.
Sounds a lot like the Blue Jackets, right? I agree...sorta. There are some differences here. The Blue Jackets have gone through more of a true rebuild than the Canes did at the time, accumulating more high picks. In general, I would argue that the Jackets have a better young core than the Canes did in 2018. At least, from a pure talent perspective.
Behind the scenes, the biggest difference is that Waddell was employed within the Canes organization for four years before being named their GM. So, he had a lot of familiarity with the franchise, its parts and pieces; and all of its inner workings.
That is not the case with the Blue Jackets. Hired in May of 2024 just four days after leaving Carolina; Waddell has had to get up to speed and learn the CBJ organization from top to bottom. He took this most recent season as a chance to evaluate and learn. Now that the season is over, we are starting to see him make his mark - albeit behind the scenes. He's moved on from some employees who were here since day 1. The best way to put it: good is no longer going to be good enough.
Change is coming.
Now that he's up to speed with the Blue Jackets, I think we are going to start seeing him make his mark on the roster. His first summer in Carolina was certainly a busy one, and it paid off. That very next season, the Canes made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years - and they have not missed the postseason since.
Don's very first trade with the Canes was an absolute whopper. He sent two of their best young players to the Calgary Flames in a blockbuster deal that saw him acquire Dougie Hamilton, Michael Ferland, and Adam Fox. This one changed the trajectory of both teams.
From the Canes perspective, it seems like they gave up the two best players in the deal. That is, if you take Adam Fox out of the equation because he refused to sign anywhere other than New York. But, adding two bigger, more physical veteran pros to their lineup was exactly what they needed for their young core players to take the next step. In an odd way, this one worked for both sides - though more so for the Canes, who have seen longer term success since this one was made.
Later that summer, Waddell shipped off long-time Hurricane Jeff Skinner for a handful of draft pieces and Cliff Pu. The undersized forward was easily one of the most notable players in Carolina for his tenure there; but he didn't fit into the vision Waddell had for this team. This thread gives you an idea what the Raleigh faithful think of this trade, 7 years later.
The next season, he flipped young center Victor Rask to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Nino Niederreiter; who would spend the next four years in Raleigh as part of their competitive core. Meanwhile, Rask fizzled out in Minnesota and is no longer in the NHL.
We can run through more of these over his next few seasons in Carolina, but it's really pointless to pick them all apart individually. While they weren't all wins, there is an obvious trend in his dealings.
Don has a knack for identifying guys who fit into his team's puzzle - and guys who do not. Most of his trades involved moving a handful of spare parts (promising or otherwise) in exchange for guys who were harder to play against. This gives us an idea of what we can expect the Blue Jackets to do this summer.
What we can expect in Columbus.
Take Mitch Marner and Brock Boeser off of your UFA lists. Don Waddell certainly has a preferred archetype, and they aren't going to fit it. In a lot of the trades he made, he gave up the more skilled/talented players. He was going after guys who were going to hold up to the physicality of an 82 game season and a long playoff run.
That's not to say that Marner or Boeser cannot do that. But, I don't know that they fit the direction this team is about to head. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the guys who have been labeled by the fans as part of "the core" to be moved and replaced with bigger, stronger veterans. Guys who can win games by being effective on both sides of the puck. If his past dealings are any indication, we are in for a wild summer.