The NHL trade deadline is just over 48 hours away and while the Blue Jackets probably won't make any big moves, a few of their players could be on the move.
Here's everything Blue Jackets fans need to know ahead of Friday's deadline.
When Exactly Is The Deadline?
The NHL trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.
Where Can I watch coverage of the trade deadline?
ESPN+ will be simulcasting TSN's TRADECENTRE from 8 a.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET. Additionally, The Point: NHL Trade Deadline Special will be on from 1 p.m. ET to 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Will the Blue Jackets make any moves?
The Jackets have already made two trades this season, sending forward Eric Robinson to Buffalo for future considerations on Dec. 6 and Emil Bemstrom to Pittsburgh for forward Alex Nylander and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2026 on Feb. 22.
According to capfriendly.com, forward Jack Roslovic, who carries a $4M cap hit, is the only pending unrestricted free agent on the Blue Jackets' roster. Other trade candidates are pending restricted free agents Alexandre Texier ($1.525M cap hit) and Jake Bean ($2.33M cap hit).
If the Blue Jackets decided to trade Elvis Merzlikins, who has three more years at a $5.4M cap hit left on his contract, it'll likely happen during the off-season when teams have more cap flexibility.
Additionally, the Blue Jackets have $18,656,293 in deadline cap space, which means they could retain the cap hit of players they trade while also serving as a third-party broker to retain the cap hit of a player being traded between two other teams.
For example, last week, the Ducks traded defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin ($2.75M cap hit) to the Maple Leafs while using the Hurricanes as a third-party broker. Anaheim retained 50% of the original cap hit and Carolina retained 50% of the 50%, so 25% of the original cap hit, in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick they received from Toronto. In the end, the Maple Leafs acquired Lybushkin with a $687.5k cap hit.
How many moves will the Blue Jackets make and will they be a third-party broker in a trade?
