The Columbus Blue Jackets could be just one or two pieces away from turning into a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. Today, we'll explore some bold ideas that could very well net those pieces.
I have no doubt that Don Waddell wants to make a big impact to this team's core this summer. There's just one problem: the holes in this team's lineup can only be filled if they can ship away some of the fluff from the CBJ roster.
This season, they already had too many bodies. Things got so cramped that youngsters Dmitri Voronkov and Kent Johnson played their way out of the lineup late in the year. Worse, the blue line continued to be a mess, with no real lineup solutions on the horizon. Or is there?
The blue line needs an overhaul, and there is one player that could have huge trade value.
For all of the wanting and hoping, it's really hard to see how Waddell can make alterations to his defense corps and bring in a true shutdown pairing. But, that's exactly what this team needs.
For this team to get tougher in their own end, they need more size and snarl on the blue line. Right now, as things sit, the only place they have to add that is on the third pairing. With six guys under contract for next season, there is maybe one spot here for that kind of defenseman.
It's pretty clear that the top-3 is set in stone for the Blue Jackets. Their contracts dictate that to be the case. Zach Werenski is one of the best defensemen in the NHL (he might win the Norris this year), and he has two more seasons on his contract. Unless he wants out, he's not going anywhere.
Meanwhile, Ivan Provorov (six more years) and Damon Severson (five more years) are both signed long-term, with trade protection. All three of these guys are going to play in the top two defense pairings. All three of them are going to see power-play time.
There is a young player here whose minutes are directly affected by those top-three guys, with no real end in sight. Denton Mateychuk is a terrific young puck mover who could scarcely get a sniff on the man advantage when everyone else was healthy.
So, it had me wondering: if the Blue Jackets want to make meaningful changes to their lineup, does Denton become the odd man out? Which led me to the idea of a potential blockbuster ahead of the NHL Draft. Lets talk about it on the next page.
Add us as a preferred source on Google