The Columbus Blue Jackets fire sale is in full swing.
Columbus traded defenseman David Savard to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a two-pick haul of a 2021 1st round pick and a 2022 3rd round pick. The Blue Jackets are going to be retaining 50% of his salary in the deal as well. The Detroit Red Wings are also involved as they are going to be retaining 25% of Savard's salary and got a fourth-round pick for their services.
Now that your head is done spinning with the logistics of the trade. How exactly did the Blue Jackets do in their return for Savard?
Frankly, they should take the money and run.
As far as deadline deals go for the Blue Jackets, this is an absolute boon for the team. Late 1st round picks don't have a lot of value but in the case of the Blue Jackets they need to rebuild their cupboard and have not had a lot in the cupboard as of late that can excite the hometown fans.
The 2022 3rd round pick virtually replaces the 3rd round pick that they parted within the Dubois trade earlier this year.
The name of the game as the trade deadline gets closer and closer, the Blue Jackets need to be thinking about asset management. They need to wring out those assets and get picks and cap space where they can.
Savard has not had a great season overall and was honestly anything but his defensive self. Getting a high return was a must but seemed like it could be troublesome with how Savard has played this year. At his best, Savard could be a valuable piece for them as they have enough offensive defensemen for the entirety of the Eastern Conference.
The real interesting part of the entire trade is the part where Detroit was involved to take Savard momentarily so that he could retain part of his contract as well. This opens up a window for the non-contending Blue Jackets who could do similar deals along the way and eat salary where they can.
Now with all eyes off of Savard, it will be interesting to see if Nick Foligno gets a similar return and if Michael Del Zotto gets much of a return given that the defensemen are now off the table.
Regardless, the Blue Jackets can be happy with what they got for Savard and can now focus on maximizing returns for other players.
