3 young trade candidates at forward who would ignite the Blue Jackets in 2024-25

Ordinarily, teams in the Blue Jackets position should build through the draft and its prospects pool, but they need to find a way to excite a fanbase that has spent the last half-decade watching nothing but bad or, at best, subpar hockey. This is a team that hasn’t been consistent in scoring, and they have been among one of the worst defensive units in that span, so bringing in a big-time name would immediately draw excitement. 

Not that they haven’t been doing this already, as they signed Johnny Gaudreau two years ago, and in 2023, Columbus drafted future star Adam Fantilli. The Blue Jackets will continue to excite their starved fanbase with another dynamic draft pick this year should they keep their current first-round pick, but they can also create further excitement with a blockbuster trade. 

Columbus Blue Jackets could and should make a big trade in 2024

Below, we got three big-time players listed who are currently in the rumor mill with nothing preventing them from being sent to Columbus. This means there aren’t any ‘no-trade’ or ‘no-movement’ clauses attached to their names, so they can’t block a trade from happening if their respective general managers are keen on sending them to the Blue Jackets.

And best yet, all three players are 26 and under, so they could potentially be in Columbus for a long time. Imagine not only snagging another potential star player in the draft, but also trading for one to help the team now and over the next half-decade or so. Yeah, the Blue Jackets are in a prime position to do just that.

Note that it wouldn’t be possible for all three of these forwards to play in Columbus, but if the Blue Jackets landed just one of the three soon-to-be mentioned names, there would be excitement moving forward in 2024-25.