Jack Johnson Open To Staying In Columbus Long-Term, Josh Anderson Out Four Weeks
- Considering his trade request earlier in the year and the fact that Columbus acquired Ian Cole early on Monday, it came as somewhat of a surprise that the Blue Jackets didn’t deal defenseman Jack Johnson by the trade deadline. Despite that, both Johnson and GM Jarmo Kekalainen acknowledged to George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch that there could still be a chance that the rearguard chooses to stick around after the season. Johnson’s ice time has gone up since his request to be moved and at one point last week, talks were held regarding a possible contract extension although talks didn’t progress particularly far.
- Still with the Blue Jackets, the verdict is in regarding Josh Anderson’s injury and the news isn’t great. The team announced (Twitter link) that the winger will miss approximately the next four weeks as a result of a knee sprain sustained on Monday against Washington. That should immediately free up a spot for the recently-acquired Thomas Vanek without disrupting the rest of the lineup.
Snapshots: Karlsson, Maroon, Anderson
Erik Karlsson didn’t request a trade, and he is happy the deadline is behind him. That’s what he told the media today, and explained that he would be open to an extension with the team if their plans line up.
I love this city, I love this community. I love everything about it. I’ve been here for a very long time and I’ve made Ottawa my home and it’s always going to be my home. So when that time comes, I hope that there’s a place for me in the future and that this team is going in the direction that I would like to for us to have a chance to win in the near future.
Karlsson was the biggest name on the market yesterday, with teams like Tampa Bay and Vegas interested right until the end. Many believed that was because the Ottawa Senators aren’t prepared to give him a massive long-term contract when his current deal expires in the summer of 2019. Though it would be tough for him to say anything else at this point, Karlsson has always maintained that he loves Ottawa and would want to spend his entire career there. If something has changed in the last few weeks, he isn’t sharing.
- The package the Edmonton Oilers received for pending free agent Patrick Maroon was underwhelming, and now we might know why. Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli today told 630CHED that he only received a single offer for Maroon, and that it came just five minutes before the deadline. The New Jersey Devils acquired Maroon for a 2019 third-round pick and the rights to J.D. Dudek, a role player with Boston College who is likely to return for his senior season. That Maroon didn’t create much interest is likely due to the belief that his offensive outburst last season is tied directly to Connor McDavid, after the big winger scored 27 goals, the first time he’d totaled more than 12 in a single season.
- Josh Anderson was injured last night after Dmitry Orlov delivered a hip check in the Columbus-Washington game, and according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is awaiting the results of further tests to determine how long he’ll be out. Anderson is an extremely versatile forward and an important part of the Blue Jackets’ attack. How long he’s out for could dramatically impact the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, where Columbus currently sits in the second wildcard position. With four teams within seven points of the Blue Jackets (including the Florida Panthers who hold four games in hand), they’ll need someone to immediately step up and fill Anderson’s shoes if he is out for any length of time.
Trade Deadline Recap: Eastern Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Eastern Conference:
Deadline Day
Tampa Bay Lightning receive:
D Ryan McDonagh
F J.T. Miller
New York Rangers receive:
F Vladislav Namestnikov
F Brett Howden
D Libor Hajek
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2019 second-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
F Thomas Vanek
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Tyler Motte
F Jussi Jokinen
Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
D Ian Cole
Ottawa Senators receive:
F Nick Moutrey
2020 third-round pick
New Jersey Devils receive:
F Patrick Maroon
Edmonton Oilers receive:
F J.D. Dudek
2019 third-round pick
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
Boston Bruins receive:
F Tommy Wingels
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
Conditional 2019 fifth-round pick
Pittsburgh Penguins receive:
F Josh Jooris
Carolina Hurricanes receive:
F Greg McKegg
Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Thomas Vanek From Vancouver Canucks
The Columbus Blue Jackets have continued to add, acquiring Thomas Vanek from the Vancouver Canucks according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Vancouver will get Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen in return.
Vanek is the definition of a trade deadline rental, and will play for his eighth club in Columbus. Last season he brought the Detroit Red Wings a third-round pick, but Vancouver decided to target a young player instead.
In Motte, the Canucks receive a 22-year old center that was only acquired by Columbus last summer. Part of the Brandon Saad–Artemi Panarin trade, he looked like a player who could compete for a fourth-line spot and perhaps move up the lineup if his offensive potential started to show. The former Michigan Wolverine scored 32 goals in 38 games in his final NCAA season, but has just 12 points in 64 career NHL games.
Jokinen will be joining his fourth team of the season, and is just a body to even out some of the salary in the deal. After being bought out by the Florida Panthers last offseason, he signed a $1.1MM deal with Edmonton before being flipped for Mike Cammalleri early in the year. He was then claimed off waivers by the Blue Jackets, and now flipped again to Vancouver. The veteran forward can play multiple positions, but has just seven points on the season and looks close to being out of the league entirely.
Vanek looks like a great fit in Columbus, who have needed some help on the powerplay all season. After finding chemistry with Brock Boeser in Vancouver this year, Vanek has 41 points in 61 games and can still be a healthy offensive contributor in a sheltered role. The 34-year old was once one of the league’s very best goal scoring threats, but will only be needed to be a secondary option on a deep Blue Jackets roster.
Columbus, Arizona Complete Minor League Deal
The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired Ryan Kujawinski from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Jordan Maletta. Both players are currently in the minor leagues.
Kujawinski, selected 73rd in 2013, has already been involved in a trade earlier this season. In December, the New Jersey Devils sent him to the desert in exchange for Michael Latta. He played just 19 games for the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring just two points and now being moved once again.
Maletta on the other hand went undrafted before signing an entry-level deal in 2016. After a solid OHL career, the 22-year old Maletta hasn’t been able to keep up the same kind of offensive production in the AHL and instead is counted on as just a big bodied defensive presence.
No Extension Talks Between Blue Jackets And Matt Calvert
- The Blue Jackets have yet to engage in extension talks with pending UFA winger Matt Calvert, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). The 28-year-old is the longest-tenured player with the team after they drafted him back in the fifth round back in 2008. Calvert has spent most of this season in a bottom-six role and has seven goals with ten assists in 50 games in 2017-18 while logging 13:50 per night in ice time and is making $2.2MM this season.
Ducks Interested In Acquiring Jack Johnson
With their acquisition of Ian Cole, the Blue Jackets have a potential replacement for blueliner Jack Johnson if they decide to move him. To that end, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Ducks are making a push to acquire the 31-year-old from Columbus.
Johnson’s situation has been well-documented. With his ice time decreasing, he asked for a trade earlier in the season but in recent weeks, his playing time has increased and for a short time, discussions about a potential extension took place although those have since broken off. The pending unrestricted free agent has three goals and five assists in 62 games this season, his lowest points-per-game pace since his first full season in the NHL back in 2007-08.
Anaheim has a fully-healthy back end at the moment but rookie Marcus Pettersson has only played a limited role while Francois Beauchemin has been in and out of the lineup as of late. Johnson would represent an upgrade to their third pairing while giving them some insurance in case one of their top-four defenders goes down with an injury. The pending UFA carries a cap hit of just over $4.35MM but the Ducks have the ability to add nearly $14MM in full-season salary today.
Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Ian Cole
The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired Ian Cole from the Ottawa Senators. The Senators will receive a 2020 third-round pick and prospect Nick Moutrey. No salary is being retained.
Ottawa was never expected to keep Cole, who stayed in Pittsburgh after his trade earlier this week. Included in the Derick Brassard deal to help even out the salaries, this can now be added to the first-round pick and goaltending prospect to make it look like a pretty healthy return for the Senators. Cole has had his troubles in Pittsburgh, clashing with the coaching staff at times and finding himself in the press box. That comes along with the experience of two straight Stanley Cup victories though, something Columbus will welcome in their dressing room as they look for the first championship in club history.
Cole is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and his addition could mean that Jack Johnson is on his way out of Columbus. Johnson had previously asked for a trade, but was reportedly in negotiations on an extension recently. With Ryan Murray‘s healthy return to the lineup, the Blue Jackets have one of the deepest groups in the entire league and could potentially flip Johnson to either get back some expended future assets, or another forward to join their group.
With Cole off the board, the market for rental defenseman shrinks again. While Erik Karlsson and Ryan McDonagh lead the group with term still left on their contract, Mike Green awaits a decision on his future as the top pending unrestricted free agent defenseman. Though Green carries a significantly higher cap hit, Detroit’s asking price should also be higher because of his powerplay ability and experience as a top-pairing option.
For Ottawa, they’ve now received two picks and two prospects for Brassard, and could be one of the busiest teams in the league today. Karlsson is the big fish, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Zack Smith, Mike Hoffman and Cody Ceci have all been mentioned in trade talks at one point or another. If they strip everything away they’ll hold a ton of future assets, but after adding Matt Duchene earlier in the year would be in trouble of sinking to the bottom of the league once again in 2018-19. Cole was never going to be a part of that, and will move on without even setting foot in Ottawa.
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was among the first reports of the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 02/26/18
It’s trade deadline day in the NHL, but that won’t stop teams from making recalls from the minor leagues. Rosters expand today, meaning teams are allowed to carry as many players as they want for the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean they can just call-up the entire minor league organization though, as teams are allowed just four post-deadline recalls (not counting emergency call-ups). We’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Sonny Milano and Markus Hannikainen, which gives them another two options up front. Mark Letestu was brought in yesterday to join that group, and the Blue Jackets have been connected to several other players on the market. Milano and Hannikainen have both played most of the season with Columbus, suiting up for 35 and 29 games respectively in 2017-18.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Nikita Scherbak from the minor leagues, which means he’ll likely be with them through the end of the season. Since he’ll be with the big club at the deadline, he’s ineligible for the playoffs with the Laval Rocket. Teams often do the opposite, moving players down just on paper to make sure they could play in the playoffs if their NHL squad misses.
Early Notes: Columbus, Hartman, Vermette
The Columbus Blue Jackets added Mark Letestu yesterday for their playoff run, but had checked in on several other options before making the deal. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Blue Jackets offered a third-round pick for Artem Anisimov, hoping the Blackhawks would also retain some salary.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also believes that the Blue Jackets asked about Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka of the St. Louis Blues, but obviously didn’t make a deal. Letestu ended up only costing Columbus a fourth-round pick, which certainly doesn’t take them out of the running today for an additional upgrade.
- Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are looking for a first-round pick plus another asset for Ryan Hartman, a big ask for a young player with just eight goals this season. Hartman, 23, is a versatile player that could draw interest from many teams, and is a restricted free agent this summer. That could be part of why the Blackhawks are considering moving the forward, as like most years they’ll have some tough decisions to make on their young free agents due to their ongoing cap crunch.
- Antoine Vermette was held out of the lineup last night for the Anaheim Ducks, and John Shannon of Sportsnet reports on his eight-team approved trade list. Shannon explains that only two of those teams are currently in playoff spots, which could drastically limit any return should the Ducks decide to move him. Vermette is affordable and playoff-tested, but ultimately holds a lot of power in deciding whether he’ll be traded today.