The Columbus Blue Jackets have entered a new era on the ice. After starting a rebuild in 2020, the team has battled hard this season and is seeing the fruits of lean years pay off with their young players starting to lead the way.
They've also entered a new era off the ice. After years of a management regime that operated mostly in the dark (for better or worse), Don Waddell has breathed fresh air into an organization that needed a new start. With the NHL trade deadline coming up tomorrow, the GM of the Blue Jackets is telling everyone exactly what his plans are.
"“We want to bring in obviously the best players we can, but we also have to make sure we know their character and we know how they’re going to be in the locker room,” Waddell said Wednesday. “If I rip a guy out of this locker room right now that’s playing a role for us on this hockey club, I think that’s pretty devastating to our team. I think it’s the wrong message from my end. I think it’s the wrong message to the fans, the coaches and the players.”"Don Waddell
This quote tells us exactly what to expect tomorrow. The Jackets aren't going to be trading away any of their pending UFAs - or anyone else from this roster, for that matter. They're content to let this group sort things out and see how far they can go in what has been a surprising year.
In my opinion, it's the absolute correct approach to take. Even as injuries have started to pile up, this team continues to chug along and play better hockey than the sum of its parts might indicate. Every player who has stepped onto the ice in a union blue jersey this season seems to have bought into the system and brought exactly what this team has needed at a given time.
The best way to reward them: keep them together, and in their same roles. By going out and trying to bolster the lineup now, the message sent to the team could be all wrong. Taking a Zach Aston-Reese or Justin Danforth out of this lineup in favor of someone more skilled; could do more harm than good. This is always a concern when making late in the season deals - just ask our foes in Carolina.
Keeping this cohesive locker room together is going to be more valuable than making a big ticket addition over the next 28 hours or so. The chemistry of this team is off the charts. Waddell understands that, and it's going to be fun to watch them battle together down the stretch.
We can't overlook his handling of his UFAs.
The Blue Jackets have a handful of pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) on the roster. In a year where they have surpassed all expectations, Waddell's decision is to hang onto them and use them as rentals here; rather than trading them away for future pieces.
At this point in the rebuild, he's smart to respond to what the team is telling him. They've shown him that they are ready to take the next step and battle for a playoff spot. As such, he's gone as far as telling his most valuable potential trade chip, Ivan Provorov, that he will not trade him this week. That has to be refreshing for a guy who knew somewhere in his mind that anything would be possible at this year's deadline.
Because of his stellar play and impressive ability to stay healthy, Provorov was probably set to become the top defenseman available at this year's deadline. As the team keeps winning games, the Jackets see more value in keeping him around as they make their own push. They've decided that a late first round pick doesn't have the same value as a run towards a playoff spot with a special group.
Instead of trading him, Waddell will circle back in the offseason and try to get him re-signed then. His plan is to do the same thing with other pending UFAs (Dante Fabbro is probably the most notable); so at least for the time being, we can wash away any hopes of seeing these guys extended down the stretch.
It will be interesting to see if the Jackets do make any moves tomorrow, in what seems to be a seller's market this year. If they do decide to add anyone up front, my gut tells me it will be someone who hasn't been talked about as available for trade to this point. We'll be following along closely in case any moves do occur.