The trade deadline is here. Teams have until 3:00 PM EST today to bolster their roster in preparation for the playoffs or sell off players for future assets. Several trades have already happened outside of Columbus. Some notables were Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand to Tampa Bay and Gustav Nyquist to Minnesota.
For the first time since 2020, the Blue Jackets are considered buyers at the trade deadline. Multiple reports have said not to expect any high-profile rentals going to Columbus, but that Don Waddell is looking for forwards with at least one season left on their contract. The list of available players that meet the criteria is likely small. Some names thrown around have included Rickard Rakell from Pittsburgh, Jared McCann from Seattle, and Alex Tuch from Buffalo.
In theory, adding a forward would be great. However, what would the price be? A decent player with term wouldn’t be cheap. Would you be willing to part with a 1st round pick and possibly a prospect in exchange for a top-9 winger?
Provorov has been another topic of discussion for quite a while. It seemed that Waddell might still move him for the right price, but it sounds like that won’t be the case. Provorov will likely stay with Columbus.
What do you think? Will the Jackets make a move? Who would you target?