Vancouver Canucks forward Thomas Vanek is headed to Columbus in exchange for Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
Vanek, a 34-year-old winger, has 17 goals and 24 assists in 61 games for a struggling Canucks team. He’s an unrestricted free agent after this season, where he makes $2 million per year.
Jokinen was waived yesterday and Tyler Motte has “underwhelmed” the CBJ staff this year (per Portzline).
This could be a shot in the arm for the Blue Jackets, whose struggles to score need no introduction. In any event, Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen pulls the trigger on a scoring forward essentially for free.