General manager Don Waddell has been looking to make a trade (or two) for a while now. With the upcoming roster freeze coming up (12/20 – 12/27), there is speculation that a move could be made.
While upgrading the roster is always the goal, there are certain players and assets that should not be traded.
The Blue Jackets are 33 games into the 2025-26 campaign and currently sit in 15th place in the Eastern Conference. Now, they are only 4 points from a playoff spot.
So the season is not completely lost and there is still a chance that the team can make the playoffs. However, based on recent play, that may be a long shot.
Don Waddell attempted to make moves in the offseason, but struggled to find the right deals. I expect him to be active in the trade market. Whether he is a seller (most likely) or a buyer, I could see him making a few moves to alter the look of the Blue Jackets.
While I believe the Blue Jackets will be sellers, I think Waddell also is looking to make a move that could improve the club now. In order to upgrade talent, generally talent (or high assets) must go the other way. While I think a majority of the roster is fair game to be traded, there are certain players and assets that I think should be considered untouchable.
In my opinion, of the current players on the team, the only guys that should not be traded are: Sean Monahan, Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko, Mathieu Olivier, Adam Fantilli, Zach Werenski, Denton Mateychuk, and Jet Graves.
While the team prefers to keep some other players (Boone Jenner, Cole Sillinger, Kent Johnson, Ivan Provorov, etc.), they are not necessarily untouchable if the right deal comes along. All other players on the active roster should be fair game for trades. But the aforementioned players are core pieces to the team. Losing them would be a big loss.
Of the current prospects and draft picks, the CBJ should not trade Cayden Lindstrom, Jackson Smith, Pyotr Andreyanov, or their 2026 1st round pick.
While other prospects have good potential (Jordan Dumais, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Corson Ceulemans, Luca Pinelli, Charlie Elick, Evan Gardner, etc.), they could be added to a trade in order to bring in immediate help. Their loss would not be as great of an impact as losing Lindstrom, Smith, Andreyanov, or the 1st round pick.
Let me be clear: I do not expect Waddell to go big game hunting. He will not be making a trade like the recent Quinn Hughes trade. The Blue Jackets are not contenders yet and are not in a position to make such a move.
However, I could see tweaks to the roster or small upgrades. I could also see a move to acquire a player who needs a fresh start (with the gamble that he could be a boom or bust on the team).
In any event, I expect Don Waddell to be active on the trade front leading up to the March 6th trade deadline. While upgrading the roster is the priority, there are certain pieces that should be off limits. Waddell knows this and will do all he can to improve the team now and for the future.