It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re starting training camps, but general managers have been fairly busy in the last few days. Teams are getting their rosters in place, but there’s still tinkering to be done. It’s always a wild scramble before the start of season. One team that’s had to go through plenty of adversity is the Columbus Blue Jackets. This edition of NHL rumours looks at what the team may do in the run up to the season.
All NHL Rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Columbus Blue Jackets May Make Some Deals
Rumour: In the latest edition of Insider Trading, TSN’s Chris Johnston said that the Blue Jackets may explore the trade market to land a forward.
Key RFA players remain unsigned on the eve of NHL camps.
Insider trading with @DarrenDreger!
VIDEO: https://t.co/mscpPsdGvv pic.twitter.com/uvsN7uXsag
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 17, 2024
Analysis: Columbus already made a signing earlier in the week with inking James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal. However, Blue Jackets General Manager Don Waddell said that he’d like to add another forward to fill out the roster.
Columbus will have a lot of adversity this season after the untimely passing of Johnny Gaudreau. Waddell said earlier that he wants to add two forwards and the van Riemsdyk was half of the possible equation. However, it seems that the team isn’t done being a player in the market.
Johnston said that the Blue Jackets are “trying to see if maybe there’s some situations around the league, maybe some younger players that could become available from other teams as they work through their own roster issues, trying to get cap compliant by opening night.” However, Johnston stresses that the team is going to be patient about making an addition.
A move like this feels nontraditional, but Waddell is going to do what he needs to do add to his roster. He won’t be afraid to pull off something major in order to get the Blue Jackets to move up the standings.
An Unprecedented Time
It’s a difficult situation that Waddell and the Blue Jackets are in. Replacing anyone on a roster is hard enough, but trying to fill a void left by one of the team’s best players is extremely tough.
The Blue Jackets have nearly $25 million in salary cap space, so money shouldn’t be an issue. However, Waddell is going to wait for the right deal before making a move. Making a move for the sake of making a move could hurt the franchise.
The roster is thin at the moment and this is definitely the case at forward. We mentioned in a previous edition of NHL Rumours that the Blue Jackets were two forwards short before signing van Riemsdyk. There was chatter that they were going to use all avenues to add to the roster. However, a trade seems to be the narrow focus at the moment.
Another move may also be needed with the news of Justin Danforth recovering from wrist surgery. He was only just cleared for stickhandling drills, so another move may be needed to fill out an already shallow forward group.
Main photo by: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY Network/Imagn Images
