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Under the Radar Trade Candidates from the CBJ

Could there be some Blue Jackets players who are dealt that no one anticipates? There are 3 players who may fall into that category.

By Matthew Duffey |
Columbus Blue Jackets v Ottawa Senators
Columbus Blue Jackets v Ottawa Senators / Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photo/GettyImages
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The NHL trade deadline is March 8th and is fast approaching. The Blue Jackets find themselves in the basement of the NHL standings and will be making decisions about who they want to keep and who they want to trade at the trade deadline.

While the upcoming unrestricted free agents are always the likely candidates to be dealt, there are usually a few surprise trades at each trade deadline.

Alexandre Texier

It seems like the 5th line has been waiting for years for Texier to break out. He has spurts of play that show his true potential and then he goes long stretches of being quiet.

He really may need a change of scenery to reach his true potential. Texier would be an ideal target for any playoff contender. He’s young, can play at center or on the wing, kills penalties, and can score.

Furthermore, Texier’s cap hit is reasonable ($1.525 million for this season), which shouldn’t be too difficult for most teams to swallow (especially if the CBJ retain any salary). He is a restricted free agent after this season, which means the acquiring team still holds his rights and negotiate a new contract with him this summer.

There are so many aspects about Texier that make him a prime candidate to be traded.

Justin Danforth

A lot of playoff contenders would love to have Danforth on their team. He can play center or wing and can play on virtually any line. He is a hard-working, meat-and-potatoes type player.

Tampa Bay Lightning v Columbus Blue Jackets
Tampa Bay Lightning v Columbus Blue Jackets / Jason Mowry/GettyImages

The exact type of player who is effective during the grind of playoff hockey. He is currently signed to a $975K contract for this season and $1.1 million contract for next season. His cap hit is reasonable and the team acquiring him would have him for the 2024 playoffs and 2024-2025 season.

With Danforth being 30 years old and with all the young talented players coming, the CBJ may not see Danforth in their future plans. It wouldn’t surprise me if a contender makes a good trade offer for Danforth and the CBJ take it.

Sean Kuraly


Centers are coveted during playoff time.

True contenders often have more than just 4 on their roster because they know that the center iceman dictates a lot of the play. While he centers the 4th line in Columbus, Kuraly kills penalties and takes important faceoff draws in the defensive zone.

Toronto Maple Leafs v Columbus Blue Jackets
Toronto Maple Leafs v Columbus Blue Jackets / Jason Mowry/GettyImages

That is exactly the type of depth player that many contenders covet for their playoff run. Kuraly’s cap hit is high for his position ($2.5 million through 2024-2025). But if the CBJ are willing to eat some of that cap hit, then I could see some teams calling about his availability.

All three of the players may be third or fourth liners on the CBJ and may not appear to be very attractive trade chips. However, all three players are prototypical players that teams like to acquire for a playoff run.

Through my recent trade deadlines, many third and fourth liners have been coveted trade pieces (such as Barclay Goodrow or Blake Coleman). If the Jackets don’t see any of those players in their long-term plans and a good trade offer comes along, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if any of those players are dealt to a contender.

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