The Columbus Blue Jackets got juiced up at last season’s trade deadline, adding Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Keith Kinkaid, and Adam McQuaid to their booming lineup that already included Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, Josh Anderson, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Although the Columbus worked hard on a run for the Cup, they were dropped off in the 2nd round against the Boston Bruins in 7 games. Now, in the heat of the offseason, the Blue Jackets have lost all of the players they worked hard to pick up.
Since February 22nd the Columbus Blue Jackets have lost:
- Artemi Panarin
- Sergei Bobrovsky
- Matt Duchene
- Ryan Dzingel
- Keith Kinkaid
- Adam McQuaid
- Anthony Duclair
When it comes to draft picks the team has lost:
2019 – 1st round, 4th round, 7th round
2020 – 2nd round
2021 – 2nd round, 5th round
And in return they’ve gotten nothing.
Sure they had a fire season, and it was the furthest they made it into playoffs since 2009 but now, they’ve lost some of the better players they had. And to get nothing in return is the stinger in all of it. The players they lost had a combined 132 points during the season WITH Columbus. That’s a big drop-off to lose for nothing.
They haven’t had any big pickups in the off season aside from Gustav Nyquist, with 60 points in 81 games last season, who signed $5.5 million.
The Blue Jackets still have time and money. The team have $15,765,918 in projected Cap Space and there are a few RFAs on their roster that could be resigned such as Zach Werenski.
Werenski played in all 82 games last season and all 10 playoffs games, managing to be productive both defensively and offensively. It would be smart for the Blue Jackets to bring him back next season, he’s a valuable player and they’ve got the money to keep him around.
It’s still strange to think that Columbus gave us so much in what seemed like a longtime plan that only lasted about 3 months. It’s definitely not a great look but who knows, maybe they’ll pick up some new young stars and be Cup contenders again next season or maybe it’ll be the opposite.
Featured Image: NHL.com
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