NHL GMs seem to value players differently than most of us.
When Jack Johnson's trade request came to light earlier this season, it was unclear as to what value other teams would place on him. A veteran defenseman who's still rather productive but has a hard time defending is a tough one to read, but apparently, at least one GM is prepared to pay a high price.
NHL insider Pierre Lebrun, speaking on TSN's "Insider Trading" segment last night, said the Blue Jackets believe they can get a late first-round pick for Johnson, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
As I mentioned on Insider Trading, I think the Blue Jackets know they can get a late first round pick for Jack Johnson ... but they want a forward... do they take the pick and make a separate deal for a forward? Interesting decisions lie ahead of Feb. 26
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 8, 2018
That's...certainly interesting.
We know the Blue Jackets are interested in upgrading their forward group, but it might make more sense to collect the pick and use it in a separate deal. If they were to make a deal for a forward involving Johnson, there's a strong chance it would be for a rental forward, and Jarmo Kekalainen usually prefers to acquire players with term remaining on their contract.
We'll see where this goes over the next couple of weeks, but there's clearly a market for Johnson, to the Jackets' benefit.
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