Breaking down the Columbus Blue Jackets ahead of NHL Trade Deadline Day.
Deadline approach
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be: Spectators
Pending free agents
Unrestricted: 11 | Restricted: 13 | See full list
[teamleaders league=”nhl” team=”cls” season”2014″]
Blue Jackets overview
After a slow start to the season, the Blue Jackets have put themselves back into the playoff picture. Columbus was one of the hottest teams throughout the month of January and is right in the mix for one of the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division. The Jackets have received balanced scoring from the top three lines to go along with some solid defensive play and reliable goaltending from last year’s Vezina winner, Sergei Bobrovsky.
Ryan Johansen and Cam Atkinson have really taken steps forward this season. Last year, the Blue Jackets made the big move to bring in Marian Gaborik from the New York Rangers but it has paid little dividends in 2013-14 as the veteran forward, who is unsigned beyond this season, has suited up in just 18 games. The same could be said about Nathan Horton, who was injured to start the season and had played in only 18 games as well going into the Olympic break. Looking at the roster, the Blue Jackets could use some veteran leadership. They do not have a ton of playoff experience in the lineup, especially on the back end.
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| Click player positions to see depth chart | ||
Areas to address
The Blue Jackets have a young but very balanced roster that isn’t in desperate need of any immediate upgrades. They could use veteran depth to solidify the group for the stretch run. Up front, they have a very solid top-nine where there isn’t much room to add another player. They made big moves to bring in Gaborik and Horton and those guys could boost the group with improved play if they can stay on the ice. That would be more important than adding another forward to the club.
The team has a very strong group of puck movers on the blueline with Jack Johnson, James Wisniewski and 2012 second-overall pick Ryan Murray. A logical move would be to add some veteran size and toughness to the bottom pair, which would help in penalty kill situations.
In net, Bobrovsky gets the bulk of the starts and it wouldn’t be out of the question to add a backup to replace average veteran Curtis McElhinney. That would not be a huge priority but could help down the stretch if the Blue Jackets are still battling for points in the final month of the season.
Possible trade targets
Tom Gilbert, Florida Panthers
Ales Hemsky, Edmonton Oilers
Reto Barra, Calgary Flames
