The Jackets have historically been fairly active at the deadline. They have been in “sell” mode more often than not, and in most cases players are shipped away for draft picks or prospects. There were however, a handful of fairly significant deals made over the years, bringing in skilled players like Antoine Vermette and Ray Whitney. Let’s take a look at the deadline deals involving the CBJ since expansion:
2001 Deadline
Columbus traded D Frantisek Kucera to Pittsburgh for Pittsburgh’s 6th-round pick in the 2001 Entry Draft.
The sixth rounder that Columbus recieved was traded a handful of times and ended up in Colorado. The Avs used the pick to draft Scott Horvath, a high school player who went on to play in the OHL, and bounced around various minor leagues.
Florida Panthers traded Ray Whitney and future considerations to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Kevyn Adams and a 4th round selection in 2001.
It’s a shame that the Jackets couldn’t hang on to The Wizard longer than they did. He was (and remains) one of the most talented players to wear a Jackets uniform. This trade brought a lot of excitement to Columbus, as Whitney was a proven scoring forward, and while the team gave up original Jacket Kevyn Adams, Whitney gave hope that that the team meant business. The Panthers used the pick to draft a forward named Michael Woodford, a college player who had a cup of coffee in the ECHL after finishing school and is now out of hockey.
Columbus traded RW Steve Heinze to Buffalo for Buffalo’s 3rd-round pick in the 2001 Entry Draft.
Remember Heinze ’57? He was one of my personal faves back in the day, and I was disappointed to see him dealt. The third round pick didn’t do much to offset my disappointment, as the Jackets used the pick on Per Mars. Mars was a stud player in the Swedish Elite League, with a career 0 goals, 0 assists for 0 points in three seasons. He made the trek over to the USHL in 2002, playing on the David Backes-led Lincoln Stars, but after that seemingly left hockey for good.
2002 Deadline
Chicago traded D Jaroslav Spacek and Chicago’s 2nd round pick in the 2003 Entry Draft to Columbus for D Lyle Odelein.
At the time of this trade, the Jackets came out like bandits. Spacek went on to be one of Columbus’ best all-around blueliners, and the second rounder was used to draft Dan Fritsche, at the time a highly-touted young forward from Parma, Ohio. The trade did leave some fans upset, as Odelein was the captain of the team, and his rugged style endeared himself to the fans. As it turns out, Spacek put in some solid years on the Columbus blueline, but Fritsche fizzled out and is considered a bust. He’s currently playing in Switzerland.
Columbus traded RW Blake Sloan to Calgary for D Jamie Allison.
A bit of a boring deal, Sloan was a grinder and Allison provided depth on the blueline. Typing any more here would just be wasting everyone’s time.
2003 Deadline
The Jackets didn’t make any moves at the deadline in 2003.
2004 Deadline
Columbus traded LW Lasse Pirjeta to Pittsburgh for C Brian Holzinger.
An interesting trade at the time for the simple fact that Holzinger was another Parma, Ohio native. The cup of coffee that Holzinger had with the Jackets proved to be his last days in the NHL. Pirjeta bounced around the Pittsburgh organization for a while, before heading back to Europe.
Columbus traded LW Geoff Sanderson to Vancouver for Vancouver’s 3rd-round pick in the 2004 Entry Draft.
Before Rick Nash was drafted, Sandy was my favourite Jacket. He was our top offensive weapon for the early years, and provided excitement for the fans while the plumbers like Tyler Wright and Kevin Dineen were plying their trade. The third rounder turned out to be goalie Dan LaCosta, who the Jackets opted not to re-sign this past summer.
2005-2006
There was no deadline in 2005 due to the lockout, and the Jackets were quiet on deadline day 2006.
2007 Deadline
Columbus traded G Ty Conklin to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2007 5th round pick.
The Sabres looked to bolster their netminding, and the 5th rounder was eventually traded to Dallas where the Stars took Michael Neal. Conklin has gone on to help a handful of teams as a solid backup goaltender.
Columbus claims G Brian Boucher off waivers from Chicago
This move was made to fill the gap left by trading Conklin, plain and simple.
2008 Deadline
Columbus trades Adam Foote to Colorado for Colorado’s first round pick, and a conditional fourth round pick in 2009.
Ahh the Adam Foote saga. I won’t rehash things here, but the former captain was sent to the Avs for a first rounder, which was eventually traded to the Flyers for R.J. Umberger. Not a bad deal eh? Throw in the fact that the highly touted David Savard was drafted with the fourth rounder and the Jackets win BIG with this trade.
2009 Deadline
The Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Antoine Vermette from the Ottawa Senators for Pascal Leclaire and a 2009 second round draft pick.
This is one of those trades that will work out for both sides. Vermette has blossomed into a solid second-line center for the Jackets, and while goalie Pascal Leclaire has struggled mightily with injuries and poor play, the second round pick the Sens acquired in the deal was used to draft Robin Lehner, who looks to be the Sens’ goalie of the future.
The Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Kevin Lalande from the Calgary Flames for a 2009 fourth round draft pick.
A minor deal to add goaltending depth, Lalande was brought in and put in some solid seasons in the AHL, but was surprisingly (to some) not offered a contract this past summer. The pick eventually made its way to Florida where the Panthers drafted a winger named Garrett Wilson, who is currently playing for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL.
2010 Deadline
The Phoenix Coyotes acquire forward Alexandre Picard from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Chad Kolarik.
Alexandre Picard is a bust. He was drafted in 2004 in the first round and did absolutely nothing for Columbus. In this situation he was traded for minor leaguer Kolarik, who this season was dealt to the Rangers organization for AHL vet Dane Byers.
The Florida Panthers acquire defenceman Mathieu Roy from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Matt Rust.
Mathieu Roy was surprisingly steady for the Jackets, but he wasn’t in the team’s long-term plans. Rust is a scoring line center playing for Michigan, with fellow CBJ prospect Kevin Lynch.
The Los Angeles Kings acquire forward Fredrik Modin from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a conditional draft pick.
Freddy was finished, and the Kings wanted a drop of scoring at the deadline. In return? A seventh round pick with conditions. The conditions were that the Kings had to win the Cup for the Jackets to receive the pick. Chicago ruined that party for us.
The Washington Capitals acquire defenceman Milan Jurcina from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2010 sixth round draft pick.
Another conditional deal that wasn’t met- it involved games played for Jurcina and he didn’t make the cut. Milan we hardly knew ye.
The Buffalo Sabres acquire forward Raffi Torres from the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenceman Nathan Paetsch and a 2010 second round draft pick.
Raffi was a crowd favorite, and he had a penchant for scoring important goals. As he was an impending free agent, he was moved for future assets. Paetsch was a warm body, but the second rounder was used for prospect Petr Straka, who is having a decent year in the QMJHL.
As you can see, the Jackets have made various deals throughout the years. Most notable are of course the Foote deal (which eventually brought in Umby and Savard), the Vermette and Whitney deals, and the deal to bring in Jaro Spacek.
This year the Jackets are confirmed buyers, so it will be interesting to see what kind of deals they make, and how they compare to deals in the past.
Of the following players, who would you be most excited about if the Jackets were to acquire them at the deadline?
| John-Michael Liles | 46 |
| Ales Hemsky | 40 |
| Dennis Wideman | 7 |
| Clarke MacArthur | 10 |