New Jersey Devils: 3 Teams That Should Be In On Sami Vatanen
By Nick Villano
Columbus Blue Jackets
Right now, most people expected the Columbus Blue Jackets to start selling as the team was falling apart. There was talks of wanted to walk away from John Tortorella, a riff with new star Patrik Laine, and issues up and down the roster. The Blue Jackets, despite all this turmoil, are currently tied in points with the Chicago Blackhawks. They are both fighting for the fourth and final spot in the postseason in the Central Division.
The Blue Jackets are sitting at hockey .500, with a record of 13-13-7. It’s not a great team and they should likely sell. However, we’ve seen the Blue Jackets and Jarmo Kekäläinen get aggressive in years past. They don’t mind losing players to free agency, so Vatanen’s one-year deal won’t scare them away. Could the Blue Jackets still sell off assets and go after Vatanen? Sure, since the price is going to be a middle-round pick.
The Jackets currently have their 3rd, 4th, and two 5th-round picks (one of which is the Devils’ 5th-round pick they got in the Ryan Murray trade). They likely won’t want to part with the 3rd since they don’t have a second, but they can add a prospect to make the trade more appealing to the Devils.
The Blue Jackets have a fine top line, even if Seth Jones isn’t what he used to be. The second and third pair leave a lot to be desired. The Blue Jackets could have their cake and eat it too by trading David Savard for one asset, then bringing Vatanen in for a smaller asset. It seems like Savard is more highly regarded amongst NHL teams, so they could get similar production while actually upgrading assets.