5 Blue Jacket skaters who could be moved for more roster flexibility

Justin Danforth

For a team desperately short on veteran leadership, Justin Danforth does it all.

He's been an absolute workhorse since signing with the Jackets out of the KHL three years ago, playing in 122 games and scoring 43 points.

Really, they could use more guys like Danforth when they are ready to contend. The problem here is that they just aren't ready to contend.

At 31 years old, Danforth is the second-oldest player on the roster behind Sean Kuraly. Don't these guys deserve a chance to go and win somewhere, while they still have a lot of value?

Kuraly would be tough to move this summer due to his AAV ($2.5M) contract. Plus, I think it would be tough to replace his size and physicality.

Danforth brings a lot of the same things (except for size) - at a more reasonable $1.1M AAV. A contending team might look to add a player like this for depth and two-way support to their roster.

Perhaps the Jackets could find someone cap-strapped and built up a package to add something different to the roster?

Or, again, maybe they just want to free up a job for a Gavin Brindley or James Malatesta to play in the NHL full-time next season.

I love what Danforth brings, but I don't think it's anything we could not replace with what we already have in the organization. The thing we would miss the most here in my opinion, would be his leadership.

Let's look at the last two players on our list.