The NHL is currently on a break for the Four Nations Faceoff. The Blue Jackets will return to action on February 22nd and will have six games prior to the March 7th trade deadline. General Manager Don Waddell has recently said that the team will likely be modest buyers due to the team’s performance. What kind of players is Waddell looking to acquire?
Don’t expect a big move to bring in a top line forward or top pairing defenseman. Those moves are rare and usually only occur for current Stanley Cup contenders, which the Blue Jackets are not (at this point). Waddell will be looking to make moves that can help this season and beyond.
He will more likely be looking for players that are young or in their prime (generally 28 and younger) and that are under contract for multiple seasons. I wouldn’t be surprised if he adds one or two players. The primary focus could be a forward due to the injury situation right now. But don’t be shocked if a defenseman is added as well.
In order to make a trade, you have to be willing to part ways with something. The Blue Jackets will not mortgage their future on a trade deadline acquisition this season. They haven’t entered their contention window yet and know that they need more time to develop their young players. There are pieces that the Blue Jackets could be willing to part with that would be attractive to other teams.
1. Draft picks
The Blue Jackets have stockpiled draft picks over the last five seasons and have drafted well. While they plan to continue drafting and developing players, there is no need to hold on to all of their picks. They currently have 8 picks in the 2025 draft, 10 picks in the 2026 draft, and 9 picks in the 2027 draft. The first round picks may be off limits, but picks in rounds 2-7 are fair game to be dealt.
While it’s possible that they trade their additional first round pick in 2025 (acquired from Minnesota in the Jiricek trade), I doubt they trade it at the deadline. I suspect they will hold on to it with the hope of making a bigger trade in the summer. If that doesn’t pan out, then they will hold on to the pick and select a talented 18-year-old.
2. Yegor Chinakhov
The young Russian winger has shown flashes of his potential. He has a wicked wrist shot, and is on the cusp of becoming a legitimate top 6 winger in the NHL. The only thing holding him back is his health. Over the past three seasons, he has missed significant time with various injuries. He has only been able to play 30 games (2022-2023), 53 games (2023-2024), and 21 games (2024-2025). That is an average of 34.6 games per season, which is under half of each season.
With all of the forward talent in the prospect pipeline, it wouldn’t surprise me if Chinakhov is made available. He would be an enticing young player (who is still under contract) to another team.
3. Ivan Provorov
Ivan Provorov is a solid second pairing defenseman in the NHL. He can play a lot of minutes and is reliable in most facets of the game. While the preference could be to hold on to Provorov; he will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. There have been talks of both sides wanting to get an extension done, but little progress has been made from our understanding. Should talks break down, the Blue Jackets may look to cash-in on their biggest free agent available.
Provorov would be one of the top defensemen available at the trade deadline. He would easily garner a first round pick plus in any trade. Maybe the team decides to trade him and then use that first round pick in another transaction?
I don’t see the Blue Jackets trading away any of their top prospects at the deadline. The team has a plethora of talent in the system, and they want to see them develop. I also doubt the team trades away many roster players, outside of possibly Chinakhov or Provorov. This team is young and has good chemistry. Don Waddell doesn’t want to interrupt that chemistry.
I suspect the Blue Jackets will make some moves at the deadline. The magnitude of such moves and the return is yet to be determined. Just don’t expect any earth shattering transactions to take place - at least not at the 2025 trade deadline.