Going into the offseason, the Jackets are expected to be very busy reworking the roster. Players are returning from long term injuries, coming back from Europe and some of the younger guys are expected to push for a spot in camp as well. It is pretty much expected that some players will be traded off the roster to either make room or even possibly to upgrade the lineup therefore I decided to reach out to the community to see what kind of ideas for possible trades were out there. So, thank you everyone who responded and let’s get into these trade proposals.
Proposal #1
NYI: Peeke + Roslovic (50% retained) + 22nd overall pick + ’25 1st round pick
CBJ: Barzal + ’25 5th round pick
Submitted by Brydan Rahrig @rahrity24
In this trade, Brydan suggests the Jackets go after Barzal in a drastic attempt to solve the everlasting number one center question. In theory, a dominant playmaker who can control the play at an elite level while possessing the puck would make perfect sense for the Jackets. Especially given that he is locked into a long-term deal, the Jackets wouldn’t have to worry about the 1C position for a long time. In return, the Islanders would receive multiple first-round picks as the centerpieces as they are looking to build back up their high-end talent in their prospect pool. Peeke and Roslovic are intriguing as options for a team that is looking to bolster its roster depth but in the big picture, neither of them really move the needle so much. But would the Islanders want to do this trade? There’s a couple of things to consider. Do the Islander want to make a Barzal trade so soon after signing him to a max term deal? Additionally, Barzal has a modified no move which could easily include the Jackets. And even if both of those factors are true, the reality is that the Islanders will likely ask for more than 2 first round picks for Barzal. In conclusion, the Jackets likely make this move but it is highly unlikely that the Islanders would.
Proposal #2
BOS: Roslovic + 22nd overall pick + 80th overall pick (from CGY) + ’24 3rd round pick (from LA)
CBJ: Swayman + Carlo
Submitted by Buckeyes, Browns, & Blue Jackets @Brown03Buckeye
For this trade, the Jackets are proposed to make a blockbuster deal to land them a new starting goalie to replace Elvis as well as solid defenseman in Carlo. From the Jackets perspective, this is a decent concept to consider that hinges on how the front office feels about Elvis long term. If the Jackets are contemplating upgrading in goal, trading for Swayman with a 3-4 year deal in place would be more than ideal. The thing is that the Jackets will likely have to give up more than suggested here, think next year’s first round pick instead of one of the third rounders proposed. And will Boston even consider trading Swayman? Sure, Ullmark just had a Vezina quality season, but Swayman is younger and could end up being just as good. If anything, Boston may be more inclined to explore trading Ullmark. Regardless, the Jackets are likely to inquire on both Swayman and Ulmark depending on who Boston considers to be expendable going forward. One other note, while Carlo is a good enough defenseman, he doesn’t make much sense as a trade target since he would be another right shot D clogging up the roster. So, unless the Jackets consider moving on from Gudbranson or Boqvist or whomever, he doesn’t fit the bill. Perhaps if Grzelcyk is available then he could be a perfect match for Columbus. Overall, the exact deal proposed deal probably doesn’t happen, but one can connect the dots between Boston and the Jackets as potential trade partners this offseason.
Proposals #3 and #4
CGY: 22nd overall pick + 80th overall pick (from CGY) + Sillinger
CBJ: Lindholm
or
ARI: 22nd overall pick + Roslovic + Cuelemans + Bemstrom
CBJ: Schmaltz
Submitted by Kevin Knight @KK22530
Kevin proposes two trades which I’ll tackle separately. As a longtime proponent of the Jackets going after Lindholm, he suggests the Jackets offer up their later first in this upcoming draft, former 12th overall pick Cole Sillinger and this year’s 3rd round pick the Jackets landed from Calgary. I’ll be honest, if this deal comes with a long-term extension in place for Lindholm, it makes a ton of sense from the Jackets perspective. It is a lot to give up, yes, but locking in a legitimate 1C for the long term who can slide down as the perceived center the Jackets pick at 3rd overall develops. The only issue I can see here is that, justified or not, Calgary may want more than proposed which could evolve into a situation where the Jackets are forced to cough up more than intended, a situation which Jarmo wouldn’t likely want to be a part of.
The other deal Kevin suggests is to go after a relatively newer trade target, Schmaltz from Arizona. He has grown tremendously over the last couple seasons playing for the Coyotes, evolving into a high scoring top 6 forward. He may also be available given the situation in Arizona and his potential unwillingness to be part of the mess there. The difficult part is figuring out his trade value. Kevin’s proposed 22nd overall pick together with Cuelemans, Bemstrom and Roslovic seems a tad high despite all 4 of those pieces likely being available in a trade. Columbus would definitely consider this, but I wonder if Schmaltz could be had without giving up both the 22nd AND Cuelemans given the bigger picture context.
Proposal #5
CGY: 22nd overall pick
CBJ: Andersson
Submitted by Nelson @nelson1627
In this proposal, Nelson suggests trading the 22nd overall pick for Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson. On the surface, Andersson would seem to be a prime candidate as he is very productive in the offensive end as well as being a solid puck mover and can also munch minutes at a pretty good rate. He is also locked in for another couple seasons at a relatively reasonable AAV which makes him a very attractive target. But here’s the thing, are the Jackets looking to add yet another right shot D? True, Andersson is more of a known and established commodity but inserting him into the lineup puts him in direct competition with the likes of Jiricek, Boqvist, Blankenburg, Gudbranson and Peeke on the right side. If anything, the Jackets are likely looking to move on from one of those defensemen mentioned. I will admit to being intrigued by the idea of trading for Andersson despite all that but is Calgary even looking to trade him? I have my doubts. However, if a situation where Andersson does become available, I wonder if he could be had for a little less than the 22nd overall, possibly a combination of the Jackets 2nd round pick plus an expendable roster player like, who knows, Andrew Peeke?
Proposal #6
VAN: 22nd overall pick OR 34th overall pick + 98th overall pick
CBJ: Hronek
Submitted by Nelson @nelson1627
Along the same lines, Nelson also suggests the Jackets look at acquiring Hronek from Vancouver. This is somewhat similar to the Andersson proposal as Hronek is also a young, talented, high upside type of RHD who can produce in the offensive end and is solid in the defensive end as well. Here though, one can reason that the likelihood of Vancouver trading Hronek is probably not too high as they just gave up a 1st round pick to land him this past trade deadline. And that’s without addressing the issue of the backlog of right shot defensemen on the Jackets roster. Most likely, like Andersson, this is not a trade avenue that the Jackets end up going down.
Proposal #7
ARI: Cuelemans + Del Bel Belluz + Malatesta + 34th overall pick
CBJ: 6th overall pick (select Benson)
Submitted by Sean Hoy @SeanHoy27
Oh boy, what a doozy of a trade proposal this is. Sean suggests parting ways with several of the Jackets higher end prospects in Cuelemans, Del Bel Belluz and Malatesta as well as the 34th overall pick to land the 6th overall pick from Arizona to select Zach Benson. In truth, this would be a hell of a trade for the Jackets to pull off as while the proposed pieces to give up does seem like a lot, they could all be considered somewhat expendable to land another top 10 pick in this year’s draft. That really does depend on how you feel about each of the pieces being traded though. Del Bel Belluz is arguably a first-round pick in a redraft, Ceulemans was an actual first pick and based on recent performances, Malatesta’s pedigree is much higher than the 5th round selection used to acquire him. So, it is a lot, yes, but if the Jackets absolutely love Benson (or Dvorsky/Leonard etc), then I can see a world where the Jackets see what Arizona thinks about a proposal like this. Really though, I find it hard to imagine Arizona wanting to trade away the pick, even if it is for multiple quality pieces, as they are looking for high end talent to fill a roster that is looking for stability in turbulent times and if they feel they can add an elite high upside forward with that pick, it seems more likely that they’ll look to make moves elsewhere on the roster, for example Nick Schmaltz as mentioned above.
Final Thoughts:
These are some very interesting proposals to think about. We know that the Jackets want to get back to competing over the next season or so and these trades overall were suggested with that goal in mind. So, while some of these trades seem less likely than others, it will be interesting to see if the Jackets end up going after any of the players mentioned in these proposals and if they do get completed, how accurate the proposals end up. And just to finish off, thank you to everyone who sent in their trade proposals, your involvement was really appreciated! I wasn’t able to get to all of the proposals that were sent but I’ll definitely be doing another one of these at some point in the future.
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