With the trade deadline just a few short days away, the Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves in a very interesting position. For the second year in a row, they sit on the fringes of playoff contention and find themselves without an obvious direction in terms of buying and selling.
The team's white hot 10-1 record in their final 11 games heading into the Olympic break had fans confident in the CBJ to make significant adds when the deadline came around. However the momentum hasn't quite kept up after the three-week break.
With the Jackets losing their first 2 games since returning, and sitting 5 points back of a playoffs, some big questions will be asked and answered this week.
Last year in a similar situation, Don Waddell opted for a low risk low reward approach. He made one small trade on deadline day acquiring bottom six forward Luke Kunin for his veteran presence and extra scoring.
It was a good move on paper that was approved by all at the time. Unfortunately the team flatlined after the deadline and Kunin never registered a point in a CBJ uniform. The team would go on to miss the postseason.
Looking ahead to this year, one thing we are relatively sure of at this time is that the win streak before the break has encouraged the front office not to be sellers. When they struggled around midseason, there was interest and talks around players with expiring deals like Charlie Coyle, the freshly acquired Mason Marchment, and captain Boone Jenner.
But according to Pierre LeBrun, those players are now considered "own-rentals" within the organization, meaning they intend to keep their talents through the remainder of the season, and wait until closer to the offseason to worry about contracts.
While the Kunin acquisition never panned out, I believe Waddell had the right idea and may be prepped for a similar move this year (it can be argued he's already done this via Mason Marchment). Asking most insiders will yield you the same answer. As per usual, The Blue Jackets aren't in on any truly game changing talents at the moment. If they're going to be active this deadline, it will likely be a move that flies under the radar, and fills a specific need.
What do they need?
At this point in the season, looking at league wide statistics, the issues stick out like a sore thumb. Offensively, the team has held their own. They sit around the middle of the league in goals per game and power play percentage, and even rank 5th in the entire NHL in shots on goal per game. The defensive side of the game has been where the issues lie, despite the efforts of Norris trophy hopeful and recent gold medalist Zach Werenski.
The Jackets rank 22nd of 32 in goals allowed per game, are 24th in penalty kill percentage, and are an abysmal 28th in shots allowed per game. Even if defensemen lie Werenski, Provorov, and Mateychuk have proven they can put up solid point production, the team lacks true shutdown defensive defensemen. That is my guess as to the role the front office will be looking to fill if they are still interested in competing.
Who is available?
With the understanding that the CBJ may not be in the market for a league shaking move, my mind goes to someone like Logan Stanley of the Winnipeg Jets. The 6'7" 27 year old defensemen weighs in at 231 pounds and has been headlining a top pair on a miserable Winnipeg Jets team this year. Stanley is in a contract year, with his current deal only paying him $1.25 million, well within the CBJ's cap situation.
Stanley's game has taken a step back this season, but so have the rest of the Jets after plummeting from the best team in the league last year down to a place where they have next to no hope of making the postseason at this point. They'll be looking to offload players like Stanley if they're unable to extend him this week, and his defensive abilities combined with a sneaky scoring touch could be of use to a team like the Jackets.
Another candidate that could be on the radar include Jamie Oleksiak. The definition of "The Big Rig" prototype, Oleksiak is a 6'7" 250lbs textbook defensive defenseman who blocks shots at an impressive rate. The 33 year old will be a free agent after this season, as he's in the final year of a deal paying him $4.6 million against the cap. The only snag is that Seattle is in a similar position to the CBJ, and may elect to keep him if they believe they can make a push as well.
Lastly, there are whispers that former Blue Jacket Andrew Peeke could be shopped by the Bruins this deadline as well. As a Jacket, Peeke was a regular member of our blue line during the dark days of the rebuild, but always brought a scrappy energy that was always appreciated, even if he was pushed out in favor of other options in 2023. A reunion could be in order if the Bruins are willing to move on from the player.
Regardless of the moves made, there will be much to analyze in the coming days. We will keep an eye on the story as it develops.