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5 game-changing forwards the Blue Jackets can steal from the Western Conference in NHL Free Agency

The Columbus Blue Jackets could have some options in NHL free agency, and there are plenty coming from the opposite conference.

By Todd Matthews

Jan 25, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger (34) makes a pass in front of Edmonton Oilers forward Warren Foegele (37) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger (34) makes a pass in front of Edmonton Oilers forward Warren Foegele (37) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports / Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
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Dakota Joshua, W/Vancouver Canucks

Dakota Joshua is like Warren Foegele and Yakov Trenin combined into one player, as he can realistically give a team like the Blue Jackets 40 to 50 points per season while also playing a physical brand of hockey all over the ice. 

Also, like Foegele, Joshua played a second-tier role for a team that already had its star players established, yet he can evolve beyond that on a team with lesser competition like the Blue Jackets. He’s not stealing pucks to the same degree as Trenin and Foegele, but Joshua has more scoring upside, with a 15.5 and a 21.4 shooting percentage, respectively, between 2022-23 and 2023-24. 

There’s also a good chance Joshua would have logged more points than Foegele had he played in all 82 games, which would have allowed him to sail north of the 40-point barrier and 23 goals, at least when you adjust his numbers from this past season - 32 points and 18 goals in 63 games. 

Jonathan Marchessault, W/Vegas Golden Knights

This is one of those articles where you can place the five players into two groups: Those who are more realistic signings, as in the case of Yakov Trenin, Warren Foegele, and Dakota Joshua, plus your longshots like Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Marchessault. It would be different to see Marchessault playing anywhere other than Las Vegas, and the likeliest scenario is that general manager Kelly McCrimmon will keep him in Nevada. 

But if, by any chance, Marchessault tests the free agent market, the Blue Jackets would be wise to make a run at the 33-year-old. His 42 goals in 2023-24 and other accomplishments since the 2017-18 season are one reason, but he’s also someone who can help take a team much further than they may be projected. 

Marchessault did this several times in Vegas, and it’s not like he would be coming to a barren lineup in Ohio. Adam Fantilli and Johnny Gaudreau are the two names everyone thinks of, but there’s also Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko, Dmitri Voronkov, and Zach Werenski, among others, who give the Blue Jackets a ton of potential and could convince a star like Marchessault to consider. 

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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

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