After tonight’s loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the twitterverse started to peroclate with rumors of a trade involving the Jackets, culminating in this tweet from Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.
It looks like the Jackets have swung a trade with the St.Louis Blues, sending defenseman Kris Russell to St.Louis in exchange for defenseman Nikita Nikitin.
Last season, NIkitin made the jump from the KHL in Russia to North America, and split the year with the Blues and their AHL affiliate in Peoria. He put up 1-8-9 in 41 games at the NHL level last year, with 3-11-14 in 22 games in the AHL.
Both players fit the bill as puck-moving defensemen. Nikitin is an RFA at season’s end, so there’s more flexibility from a Columbus perspective.
Nikitin brings size to the Columbus blueline, checking in at 6-3, 220. First round pick John Moore has played well since joining the team, making Russell redundant on the roster.