Blue Jackets player who must be traded soon
Today at 08:01 PM
This was always going to be a tough season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. They had a new coach and a new general manager coming off a last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division. And then tragedy struck the team, as Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew passed away in August. They are on their way to another season with no playoffs and should trade Ivan Provorov and Sean Kuraly to start a rebuild.
When Gaudreau signed with the Blue Jackets in 2022 as a high-priced free agent, fans hoped Columbus would become a destination. His first two seasons did not end in a playoff berth and included three different coaches. Now, without their star forward, it has been a tough season. They started solidly, with 11 points in their first nine games. The Blue Jackets have 23 points in their last 25 games. Their last-place standing in the division necessitates trades from new GM Don Waddell.
The first Blue Jackets trade candidate is Ivan Provorov. After coming up with the Flyers, he was traded to Columbus before the 2023-24 season. He is nothing more than a solid defender, which can be valuable for contenders in the playoffs. It won’t net them much of a return, but they still owe Philly a second-round pick from the original trade. Recouping that pick would help tremendously.
The Edmonton Oilers lost Philip Broberg to the St Louis Blues last season. They have not been strong on defense this year and could use the reinforcement to get back to the Stanley Cup Final. The Blue Jackets should have no problem sending Provorov to the Western Conference and could get a couple of picks back from the Oilers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, and Utah Hockey Club should also be in the conversations.
Ivan Provorov is not the only Blue Jackets trade piece
Defensemen often have the strongest markets at the NHL trade deadline but the Blue Jackets have a forward who could move. Former Bruin Sean Kuraly is on an expiring contract and should be traded. In 34 games, he has only three goals and six assists for a low total of nine points. The Blue Jackets have young forwards taking up his minutes and the veteran could be useful on a young contender.
Kirill Marchenko and Sean Monahan are both having great seasons filling up the net for the Blue Jackets. They are taking away powerplay time from Kuraly and nerfing his scoring numbers for the season. While he is a fourth-line center at this point in his career, depth forwards are important in the playoffs.
Again, the Oilers/Blues offer sheet drama plays in here as Kuraly could replace Dylan Holloway. On the other side of last year’s Final, the Panthers are as deep as could be but did bring in Kyle Okposo last year. Bringing in another player who has been there, Kuraly lost the 2019 Cup Final to the Blues, could help their repeat quest.
Don Waddell took the Blue Jackets job after setting up the Carolina Hurricanes for sustainable success. They were marred in a similar run of mediocrity when Waddell hired Rod Brind’amour in 2018. Waddell brought Dean Evason in this offseason and must set the Blue Jackets up for similar success. He can only do that by selling at this year’s trade deadline.
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