The hot stove has turned on, folks.
Elliotte Friedman in his weekly column "31 Thoughts" has discussed the Blue Jackets ad nauseum at this point. This week he talks about a couple of players that the Blue Jackets are circling around at the moment.
Ottawa Senators forward Matt Duchene has been a player circled for a long, long time by the Blue Jackets. Interestingly, Friedman thinks that Alexander Wennberg might be a player that might be involved in such a deal.
3. Columbus’s offer for Duchene screams Alexander Wennberg as part of it. Wennberg desperately needs a new start; he’s got zero even-strength goals. I just don’t know if Ottawa would be willing to gamble on the contract, at a $4.9-million AAV through June 2023.
The Blue Jackets have obviously been disappointed with the production out of Wennberg. Are they truly ready to cut ties already?
Friedman also mentions in the article that the Blue Jackets could be looking at New York Rangers' forward Kevin Hayes as a backup plan if they can't get Duchene.
There is a lot of chatter surrounding the Blue Jackets. What is going to be the first domino to fall?
