How Don Waddell reshaped the Blue Jackets roster with two key trades

Before the 2025-26 season started for the Blue Jackets, there was a lot of excitement among fans surrounding the direction of the team, especially centered around a young core of proven stars.

However, a lot of this excitement has fizzled out after the Jackets got off to a start that can only be described as mediocre at best, a complete letdown at worst.

Columbus posted a 14-14-6 record through their first 34 games this season, which left plenty more to be desired from a group that had shown flashes of high potential while also making mistakes at critical moments late in games.

It seems that the frustration both inside and outside of the locker room was enough for general manager Don Waddell to realize that something had to change to get this team back on track. That change was Mason Marchment.

Mason Marchment has given the Blue Jackets a noticeable boost

With the NHL roster freeze (a period where no transactions can be made) starting on December 20, Waddell beat the clock and sent two draft picks to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Marchment, with the trade being announced just minutes before midnight.

Columbus sent their own 2027 second-round pick along with the Rangers 2026 fourth-round pick (acquired in the trade that sent Jack Roslovic to New York for half a season).

Marchment joins the Blue Jackets in the final year of a four-year contract and carries a cap hit of $4.5 million. This gives Columbus options, as extending him or trading him to a contender can both be beneficial for Columbus depending on his individual performance along with the team's success

So far, both sides are holding up their ends of the bargain, as Marchment has scored three goals and five points in the four games he has played with the Jackets, who have gone 3-1-0, with all three wins coming in regulation.

Marchment has been placed on the first line alongside Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko, and the trio has looked excellent through four games together. They have created an expected 2.1 goals for while allowing an expected 1.3 against according to MoneyPuck.

This line has taken advantage of the offense they have created for each other, as they have actually scored three goals while not allowing a single goal against yet.

Marchment's boost extends past the stats as well, as he has also provided a relentless physical presence, competing in puck battles and mixing it up with opponents.

This became clear in a controversial moment last Sunday against the Islanders when Marchment drew a major slashing penalty after getting called for a minor trip against rookie Matthew Schaefer.

With the Blue Jackets just getting Mathieu Olivier back the same game and missing veteran defender Erik Gudbranson since the fourth game of the season, Columbus has needed a bit more fire, although the New Jersey Devils may disagree with that.

This acquisition is looking like a brilliant one so far by Waddell, as with Marchment's stellar performance, it seems that the worst-case scenario for the Jackets is that they can trade Marchment to a contender to recoup similar assets to the ones they gave up.

With this move already being a big improvement to the roster, let's take a look at the second trade Don Waddell made that cleaned up a logjam in the bottom six while regaining valuable draft picks.