Deadline buyers.
That's what the Columbus Blue Jackets intend to be as the NHL trade deadline creeps closer.
President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell spoke to
Dylan Tyrer of the Blue Jackets Radio Network on Thursday night and said the Blue Jackets will be looking to add to their roster before the March 7th deadline.
"We'd like to add a little bit right now, especially up front because were so banged up," said Waddell. "We're not going to give up a top pick for a rental player, that's for sure, but if there's a player that's either got term left or a player that just fits into what we're trying to do here that we can reasonably get for one of our picks ... we're looking at it."
Don Waddell provided an update on the #CBJ during the second intermission. He says they plan on adding ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
— Dylan Tyrer (@DylanTyrer) February 7, 2025
Here's more of the conversation pic.twitter.com/6nK9uj6Ocm
Based on the above comments, it's not a stretch to say that the club is most interested in adding a forward. Waddell references the injuries to the forward unit: Sean Monahan, Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, and Boone Jenner are all out right now, though Jenner appears on track to come back after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
As for the others, signs point to it being longer. It sounds like all three will come back at some point in March, but whether or not that's early March or late March is a significant difference. And as the season grinds on, new injuries are always a threat to spoil any team's potential playoff hopes.
Still, it sounds like what Waddell is referring to here is a middle-six, secondary scoring addition that could give some additional oomph to the team even when they're healthy. There are plenty of options available, but it could mean a player like:
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Casey Mittelstadt: The asking price might be too high for Columbus' liking — a player would likely need to be involved — but certainly Mittelstadt checks all the boxes in what the Blue Jackets are looking for: he can play any forward position but is historically a center. He has two years left on his current contract after this year at an affordable term of $5.75 million average annual value. He's on pace for his third consecutive 50-point season. And at 26, he's young enough to potentially be part of a nucleus for years to come. For whatever reason, Mittelstadt just hasn't meshed well with the Colorado Avalanche since being traded there last season. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the Avs are willing to move him, but how motivated they would be to do so is unknown.
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Brock Boeser: Having spent his entire career so far with the Vancouver Canucks, the 27-year-old Boeser had a career high 40 goals last season and has scored 17 thus far in 2024-25. But as Vancouver ponders its future, multiple reports have stated the Boeser — a pending free agent — could be made available. While Waddell indicates that the preference is players with time left on their contracts, Boeser's status could lower the asking price while still giving the Blue Jackets a solid option at the right wing position that could fill in admirably for Marchenko if his injury is more severe than expected. Boeser is one of two Canucks that could draw the Blue Jackets' interest; more on that in a moment.
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Gus Nyquist: Another pending free agent that could still be intriguing for Waddell, Nyquist is no stranger to Columbus. He played 200 games with the Blue Jackets before being traded at the deadline during the 2022-23 season. The 35-year-old had a career high 75-point season just last season with the Nashville Predators, though he's picked up just 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) through 51 games this season. Unless Nashville makes a serious push over the next few weeks, the asking price for Nyquist could be ideal for Columbus to add the versatile forward.
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Oliver Bjorkstrand: After signing the late Johnny Gaudreau during the summer of 2022, the Blue Jackets were forced to deal Bjorkstrand to the Seattle Kraken to make the finances work. It was obvious Bjorkstrand enjoyed his time in Columbus, and with the Kraken making seemingly any of their veterans available this deadline season, a reunion certainly seems like a possibility. Bjorkstrand can play either side of the wing and still has one year (at $5.4 million) left on his contract after this season. He has 15 goals with the Kraken this season.
- Yanni Gourde: Bjorkstrand's teammate in Seattle seems like a dream fit for the Blue Jackets. Like a couple of others here, Gourde isn't a "player with term left" as much as he's a player that "just fits" what Waddell and the team seem to be looking for. Gourde is out with an injury right now but is scheduled to return shortly after the 4 Nations break. Given that plus the pending free agent status, the asking price could be low for the versatile veteran with copious amounts (83 games) of playoff experience.
An addition to the middle six would make the most sense, but there is one exception: Elias Pettersson.
While the Canucks traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers last week to seemingly end the drama in British Columbia, reports from SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman say the Canucks haven't decided for sure if Pettersson will continue to be made available.
His struggles have continued since the trade, with Pettersson scoring just one goal in 14 games since the calendar flipped. He's signed to a massive contract with an AAV of $11.6 million through the 2031-32 season and has a no-movement clause that kicks in this summer. Should the Canucks choose to revisit moving him, the Blue Jackets would certainly be interested, as the teams had "very recent talks" regarding Pettersson as recently as last week.
Back in Columbus: one other thing to consider as the deadline approaches is the health of Dante Fabbro. No indication or timetable has been provided yet by the team, but if he is out long-term, it could potentially put the Blue Jackets in play to add on the blueline, too. Zach Werenski and Denton Mateychuk seem to be locked in as the top two on the left side and Ivan Provorov on the right, but without Fabbro there's still a hole on the right side of the defense.
A couple of names to consider here could be Rasmus Ristolainen and Connor Murphy. Both play the right side, neither are entering free agency, both could likely be had for a mid-round draft pick, and in the case of Murphy, there are ties to Columbus: the Dublin native was a 1st round draft pick in 2011, becoming the first Ohio AAA Blue Jackets player alumnus to be selected that high.
Currently with the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively, Ristolainen and Murphy are both on teams in last place in their division and both clubs look to be sellers at the deadline. If the asking price is right and the health of the Blue Jackets' blueline is in question, either could be a good candidate to join Damon Severson in the battle for right side of the second defensive pairing.
