With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the midst of a disastrous season. The walls started crumbling before the first puck drop of the season when Columbus parted ways with veteran coach Mike Babcock, who the team was looking to bring back from an unceremonious end to his career in the 2019-20 season.
But the problems have persisted in Columbus, with star winger Patrik Laine facing healthy scratches and personal absences, starting goaltender Elvis Merzlikins requesting a trade, top defense prospect David Jiricek expressing frustration with his NHL role, and star rookie Adam Fantilli now out for two months with a lower-body injury. When it rains, it storms – and it is storming heavily in Ohio. And while the upcoming trade deadline won’t remedy the challenges they’re facing, it could give Columbus a chance to kickstart a much-needed reset.
Record
16-24-10, 8th in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$18.525MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: CBJ 1st, CBJ 3rd, LAK 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th
2025: CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th, VGK 7th
Trade Chips
Top goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is Columbus’ most likely option to be moved this Spring. The 29-year-old netminder requested a trade from the team, following a near total decline in his role. Merzlikins has only been iced in five of the team’s last 13 games, despite leading the team with nine wins and a .903 save percentage in 28 games this season. The Blue Jackets have instead leaned on Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves, a pair of goalies that are both much younger than Merzlikins. Columbus may be looking to find their goaltender for the next generation, something that the aging and expensive Merzlikins might not be around for.
But a Merzlikins deal may need a sweetener to go through. The 178-game veteran of the league is currently the 11th-most expensive goaltender in the NHL, with a $5.4MM cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season – his age-32 season. That contract would be a significant commitment, even for a team desperate for goaltending help.
There’s no doubt that teams around the league will be eyeing top young players like Kent Johnson or David Jiricek as said “sweeteners”, though they’d certainly require a hefty return. Both options have yet to find their ideal role with the Blue Jackets. Johnson has just 15 points through 34 games this season, on pace for just 14 goals and 36 points, a step down from the 16 goals and 40 points he managed in 79 games last season. He’s also gone without a power-play point through 75 minutes this season – despite scoring 12 points on the man advantage last year. And while Johnson is being confined to the bottom-six, Jiricek is being confined to the minor leagues. The 20-year-old defenseman, who the team took sixth-overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, has averaged the lowest ice time of any Blue Jackets defenseman, playing under 15 minutes a night through 36 games this season and not yet touching special teams at all. He’s managed nine points and 20 penalty minutes in spite of the role, and is vocally at odds with the team’s brass about what ice time he should be receiving.
It seems Columbus is at their length’s end, forced to decide which players to lean into on a roster where 13 different players are averaging between 13 and 15 minutes of ice time. While it doesn’t make sense for one of the league’s lowest-ranked teams to sell the future, their pedigree as being strong in the draft could make any necessary deals easier to stomach.
Luckily, the Blue Jackets won’t be out of the trade market if they choose not to part with their top prospects, or if they can’t find a suitor for Merzlikins’ pricey deal. The team still has centerman Jack Roslovic receiving plenty of trade interest, with teams eager to add the consistent, all-situations role that Roslovic provides. The 27-year-old has just 10 points through 27 games this season, but managed 45 and 44 points across the last two seasons respectively. He’s become a reliable option down the middle and could be the perfect fit for any playoff team looking to play into the Summer. Columbus could also part with Justin Danforth or Sean Kuraly – two aging depth forwards that play a strong role with the Blue Jackets. Danforth could be a particularly interesting option, as the 30-year-old carries just a $975K cap hit over the next two seasons and has a strong 36 points through 101 career NHL games. He could be a cheap and lucrative add for teams looking for a boost in their bottom-six. It’s likely that the return for any veteran forward would be heavily based around draft picks, especially after Sean Monahan fetched a first-round pick in his move from the Montreal Canadiens to the Winnipeg Jets.
Team Needs
1) Build Around Fantilli: In a season of struggles, Columbus is able to rest their hat on one supreme bright spot – Adam Fantilli. The third-overall selectio
n in last year’s draft, Fantilli has burst onto the scene, managing 12 goals and 27 points through 49 games despite a role that’s held him to an average under 16 minutes of ice time each game. What’s worse, Fantilli has spent at least 30 minutes of ice time with 10 different linemates over the first half of his rookie season. That is far from the ideal setting for a top young player. For perspective, #1-overall pick Connor Bedard has only had six linemates on a Blackhawks team devastated by injuries, while #2-overall pick Leo Carlsson has had just four linemates in Anaheim. Columbus is not giving Fantilli a chance to build consistent chemistry with his linemates, likely significantly holding him back from even more success in his rookie season. No matter if it’s because they don’t have the right players in the room, or just don’t know what configuration works best – the Blue Jackets need to use this trade deadline to get the player they’re hoping can lead the franchise into a more comfortable role.
2) Take What You Can Get: The Blue Jackets won’t be making the playoffs this year. And, pending a 2020 run, likely won’t make it next season either. But fans shouldn’t lose hope. Fantilli offers great promise for the future and he’s backed by really exciting prospects like Gavin Brindley – Fantilli’s old teammate – as well as top defense prospect Denton Mateychuk and high-scoring forward Jordan Dumais. That’s only scratching the surface of what is a really deep Blue Jackets prospect pool. Columbus doesn’t need to focus on their depth in the same way as the Anaheim Ducks or Minnesota Wild – and thus don’t have a need to try and stretch any trades. In a year of turmoil, general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen needs to be more focused on building a cohesive roster than saving face. If there’s a chance for him to relieve some of the tension in the Blue Jackets lineup, or find a way to lighten the load on rookie head coach Pascal Vincent, it may be best to act first and worry about long-term upside second.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
My people tell me Jiricek for Easton Cowan is on the table. CBJ also looking for a young goalkeeper to groom.
Will not get that from Toronto.
CBJ in on Kappo Kakko and a NYR goalie prospect.
“Frosty The Glowman” – Fem Photoperiod Seeds (Northern Lights #5 x Mean Mug) from Happy Bird Seeds.
Seeing the word ‘groom’ referenced by a faux Dave Frost merits a mention.
Columbus has a great young team, I hope upper management doesn’t let Vincent and Kekalainen ruin it!
As evidenced by that stellar record. Quite possibly, and very likely, you are simply not a great judge of talent.
When they parted with Torts, I thought what a mistake.
It was the right move, he had worn out his welcome. What hasn’t been the right move is not replacing him with an equally qualified coach in the meantime since.
But they were two years away from being competitive this time last year.. and the year before that. Not sure if the build is the problem as much as the system and goaltending. I do agree with most that there is enough young talent in the locker room to work with.
It would be a mistake to move Kent Johnson as a sweetener IMO.
He’s playing under 14 minutes a night (less than last season) and the /60 stats are actually better than last season. The lack of PP production has to be a result of bad luck, at least partially. He has fewer O-zone starts and his most frequent linemate is Emil Bemstrom, who does not have nearly enough offense in his game to compliment Johnson.
Given better linemates in a top 6 role, Johnson should flourish.