Early trades Blue Jackets must make during 2024-25 season
The Columbus Blue Jackets were rocked by the death of Johnny Gaudreau in the offseason. Gaudreau was an important part of this team. And his loss is still felt throughout the hockey world . It's quite cruel that the world continues to spin despite a loss of this magnitude. But that is the reality of the world, and the Blue Jackets had to prepare themselves for the 2024-25 season .
So far, the Blue Jackets have had a fine start on the ice. Columbus does sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. However, they are only five points back of the fourth-placed New York Rangers. And they have seen players such as Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, and Yegor Chinakov step up with impressive performances.
Columbus could certainly continue with their current group. But recent reports have suggested the Blue Jackets are working the phones trying to make a trade. General manager Don Waddell is open to acquiring "undesirable" contracts, as reported by The Daily Faceoff and The Hockey News. These trades would see the Blue Jackets also acquire other assets, such as draft capital.
It remains to be seen how Columbus approaches trade season in the NHL. In any event, there are some intriguing options out there when it comes to adding veterans on lofty deals. With this in mind, here are two potential Blue Jackets trade scenarios that could benefit the team in 2024-25.
Blue Jackets could take on Ondrej Palat
The New Jersey Devils signed Ondrej Palat back in the summer of 2022. Palat spent his entire career with the Tampa Bay Lightning to that point. And he proved to be quite an effective player. He won two Stanley Cups in his time in Central Florida while becoming a consistent 40-50 point player.
His time with the Devils, however, has not been as fruitful. He was limited to 49 games in his debut season in East Rutherford. And in 2023-24, he recorded his lowest point total since 2018-19. The 33-year-old is off to a slow start this year, having scored two goals and four points in 15 games.
Palat is signed through the 2026-27 season at $6 million per year, which certainly makes this a bit of a tall ask for the Blue Jackets. However, it's also a deal they could stomach taking given their cap space. Especially if the Devils retain a small percentage of his cap hit.
Palat can veto a trade to Columbus, so they would need to make it worth his while to waive. In saying this, a chance for a fresh start could be enticing to the veteran winger. Playing for a young up-and-coming team with potential certainly isn't a bad sell, either.
Blue Jackets could be a fit for Christian Dvorak
If the Blue Jackets are willing to take a high salary on a short-term deal, Montreal Canadiens forward Christian Dvorak is a fit. Dvorak joined the Canadiens through trade back in 2021. Montreal hoped he could replace the departing Jesperi Kotkaniemi and help anchor the team's middle six.
Things went well enough during his first season in the French Canadian hockey hotbed. However, there have been some stumbles in the year following. Dvorak was limited to 30 games in 2023-24, but he recorded just nine points in those games. This year, he is once again off to a slow start, scoring one goal and five points in 14 games.
The Blue Jackets should have no problem absorbing all of Dvorak's $4.45 million cap hit this season. And that could lead to them receiving a draft pick or two in exchange for taking the entire cap hit. However, Dvorak does have an eight-team no-trade clause. Perhaps starting anew and having a chance to showcase his skills ahead of NHL Free Agency next summer is enticing enough for him to accept the Blue Jackets.
