A lot of Columbus Blue Jackets’ fans remember some of the high-profile trades from the past few years. Whether it was the deal to bring Artemi Panarin to Columbus or the flurry of trades at the trade deadline of the 2018-19 season to go all in on Stanley Cup contention, Jackets fans often have strong opinions on how these trades affected their beloved team.
What about the lower profile trades though? A lot of these have slipped under the radar. Here are four of them from the past few years. Though it is important to note that each of the following player's outcome after they left Columbus may not have been the same if they had been kept. Schemes, coaching styles, surrounding teammates, and so much more factor into a players development. While it is interesting to see what has become of these former Jackets, nobody knows for sure how they would have turned out on the CBJ.
February 24th, 2020
Blue Jackets Move Milano
Nearly six years after the club selected Sonny Milano with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Jackets’ patience had run out. The organization had continually waited for Milano to develop into the player they thought they were getting on draft night — a talented forward with the ability to score in droves. They finally gave up on him in the form of a one-for-one swap with the Anaheim Ducks for forward Devin Shore.
Since the trade (ANA): Milano finished out the 2019-20 season playing nine games and scoring five points for the Ducks. He signed a two-year extension that offseason, the first year of which got off to a bumpy start. Milano logged only six games and had no points to show for it, but he has bounced back in a big way this year. So far, in only 35 games he has scored 25 points, which would tie him for fourth-most if he were still on the Blue Jackets. That’s a bit of a gut-punch, but it gets even worse: The 25-year-old Milano has those 25 points in at least six less games than any of the Blue Jackets with more points than him.
It is too small of a sample size to tell just yet, but Milano may finally be turning into the high-volume scorer the Columbus front office always hoped he would be. Unfortunately, it is for another team.
Since the trade (CBJ): Shore finished out that season, playing six games and contributing two points for the Jackets. He never played another game for them. In the summer of 2020, he signed a two-way contract with the Edmonton Oilers and has since both played and scored sparingly.
October 8th, 2020
Columbus Nudges Nutivaara Out The Door
Markus Nutivaara was drafted by the Jackets in the 7th round of the 2015 draft. Needless to say, the expectations for him were not as high, coming out of the gate, as they were for guys like Milano. However, early on in his career, Nutivaara looked like a steal. On the offensive side of the puck, in only his second year in the league (2017-18), he topped out at an impressive 1.41 goals per 60 minutes. To put it in context, that is better than Zach Werenski's average this year. Defensively, his takeaways and blocked shots reached their peak one year later during the 2018-19 season. He was also part of the top pairing in expected goals against that season, but the next campaign, his line slipped to third best on the team.
Sadly, Nutivaara was injured and out for significant time at the end of the 2018-19 season and the beginning of the 2019-20 season. When he came back, his play had declined. All of this led to the Blue Jackets trading him straight up for the Florida Panthers’ Cliff Pu.
Since the trade (FLA): The Panthers are the best team in hockey this year, but that is without the help of Nutivaara. His injury struggles continue as he has only played in one game for the Panthers since the start of the season. So far, it looks like the Jackets might not have given up much in this trade.
Since the trade (CBJ): The Jackets got even less back in Pu. The only notable thing about his career is that he has been traded three times while still having never played an NHL game in the seven plus years since he has been drafted.
October 8th, 2020
Blue Jackets Make Murray Disappear
Columbus had very high hopes for the defenseman they drafted second overall in the 2012 NHL draft. Unfortunately, Ryan Murray was plagued by injuries for a large part of his career. However, it started to look like he might be finally panning out when he posted 29 points and a plus/minus of +20 during the 2018-19 season. Disappointingly, that didn’t last, with Murray only being able to suit up for 27 games the next year. He was shipped out that offseason. Murray fell a long way in order to go from the second overall pick to being traded to the New Jersey Devils for a fifth-round pick. In comparison, fellow Blue Jackets defenseman, David Savard fetched a first and a third-round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Since the trade (NJ): Murray played all last season with the Devils, scoring 14 points with a plus/minus of +3. He then signed this past offseason with the Colorado Avalanche, but he has seen limited minutes and has only scored four points in 22 games with a plus/minus of -2. It appears he is continuing his downward trend.
Since the trade (CBJ): The fifth-round pick the Jackets received in this trade, was used to select Nikolai Makarov. Makarov is a large, physically imposing defenseman, coming in at 6'4" and 235 lbs. The hope is that he turns into a shut down defender in the same vein as David Savard. Makarov has a long way to go, but at only 18 years old, he is already showing some promise in the Russian professional leagues. Even getting to play several games in the KHL, the top league overseas. Jackets fans will have to wait and see how this one turns out, but there is a good chance Columbus comes out on the better end of this trade.
February 23rd, 2019
The Jackets Deliver Duclair To The Ottawa Senators
Columbus signed Anthony Duclair to a one-year deal for the 2018-19 season. It was a known fact that Duclair had raw talent, but what was in question was his desire and ability to reach his potential. Former Blue Jackets' head coach John Tortorella soured quickly on Duclair, stating that Duclair was "running out of time" and he was “off the rails – I’m not sure we’re going to spend a lot more time trying to get him back on the rails." After those public comments, it became clear that Duclair wouldn't be sticking around for long. Columbus shipped Duclair out, along with their 2020 and 2021 second-round picks to the Senators for Ryan Dzingel.
Since the trade (OTT): Duclair scored 14 points in the 21 remaining games for the Senators. He signed a one-year deal with them in the 2019 offseason and proceeded to score 40 points that year, showing a lot promise. In the summer of 2020, he signed another one-year deal, this time with the Florida Panthers. He scored 22 points in 43 games for the Panthers. That was enough for them to ink him to a three-year deal this past offseason. He has rewarded the Panthers with 35 points in 39 games. That is five more points than anyone on the Jackets has this year. It seems safe to say that Duclair's speed, excellent puck-handling, and goal scoring ability is all starting to come together. Too bad it couldn't have been while he was still in a Jackets uniform. To add insult to injury, Columbus also sent two second-round picks to Ottawa in this trade.
Since the trade (CBJ): Dzingel did help the Blue Jackets to their first playoff series victory over the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The rumor though, was that he never got along with Tortorella. For whatever reason, even though Dzingel had played hockey at Ohio State and was originally thought to want to stay put, he decided to skip town and sign with the Carolina Hurricanes after spending less than half a season in Columbus. The Blue Jackets got some immediate help with Dzingel in this trade, but they are left wondering what could have been if Torts had been a little more patient with Duclair.
