Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell talks outdoor game, deadline
Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell discusses what the NHL’s stadium series matchup means for Columbus.
The Blue Jackets in the previous four years have been consistent in many facets of the hockey business, including losing, coach firings and trade-deadline selloffs. By these measurements, 2024-25 has been incredibly disappointing. It’s March, and they’re in a wicked playoff race.
In his 10th month on the job in Columbus, president/general manager Don Waddell is about to navigate his first trade deadline – it arrives at 3 p.m. Friday. He could be a buyer. He could be a seller. He could buy and sell. He could stand pat. He is, in a word, flexible.
If you’re like me, you had the Blue Jackets eliminated from playoff contention on Thanksgiving. At the time, they were a .500 team (9-9-3) and, while admirably plucky, they couldn’t win on the road. They were in sixth place in the Metro, 12th in the East and 24th in the league. Captain Boone Jenner was in the early stages of recovery from shoulder surgery. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson was also on long-term injured reserve (as he still is) after shoulder surgery. Forward Yegor Chinakhov was about to go on the shelf for three-plus months with a back problem. The injuries kept coming. Center Sean Monahan, top-pair defenseman Dante Fabbro, winger Kirill Marchenko, center Cole Sillinger …Â
But the Blue Jackets never went away. It is one of their redeeming qualities, maybe their finest one. They can’t be shaken. It’s a credit to coach Dean Evason, the leadership group, to all of them. They have honored the memory of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau by banding together, playing with joy and passing around a donkey hat. There is a strength to them that borders on the spiritual.
America saw the best of them Saturday night, when they beat the Detroit Red Wings in an outdoor game at Ohio Stadium. The game drew a crowd of 95,000 and a television audience that peaked near 2 million. It was the most-watched regular-season hockey game since ESPN reacquired NHL rights in 2021. What a grand thing it was for our city.
No doubt, the record-setting ratings are largely attributable to the interest that was keyed up during the 4 Nations Face-Off last month. I would submit that the Jackets’ story, and their likeability, also contributed to Nielsen’s ratings. These Jackets are easy to root for, even for non-hockey fans. They are Gaudreau-like.
Tuesday night, the Jackets (30-23-8) had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 6-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, the Jackets maintained their tenuous hold on the first playoff wild card in the East. There are six teams jockeying for the two wild cards and the race will remain tight over the last quarter of the season. Heading into their Thursday night game against the defending champion Florida Panthers, the Jackets were down to their last 21 regular-season games.
Not long ago, it seemed foregone that Waddell would cash in his pending unrestricted free agents by trading them for assets at the deadline. Among the UFAs are defensemen Ivan Provorov, Dante Fabbro and Jack Johnson and forwards Mathieu Olivier, Sean Kuraly, James van Riemsdyk and Justin Danforth.
Columbus Blue Jackets enter Stadium Series pep rally
Columbus Blue Jackets enter Stadium Series pep rally
Olivier signed a six-year contract extension worth $18 million, the Jackets announced Wednesday morning. Good. But what of Provorov – a minutes-eating, top four defender who would command a premium at the deadline? Waddell could leverage Provorov, or any number of these pending UFAs, and come away with at least one more first-round pick (among many picks) and one or more prospects and/or NHL-ready players. That might be the smart play.
The Jackets have two first-round picks in the 2025 draft and may have as much as $45 million in cap space, an enormous sum, ahead of the summer signing season. Waddell could add more assets by the end of Friday and strengthen what is already a formidable hand this offseason. Be it through draft-day trades or via the free-agent market, he has the cards to be a major player.
What now?
Waddell can reward the locker room and pay homage to long-suffering fans by strengthening the roster – he has talked about adding a depth forward, and maybe more – at the deadline. He can pick up a rental or two. He doesn’t want to trade any first-round picks, and he shouldn’t have to.Â
Waddell can make a big-boy trade – for a younger player with upside who will help now and in the future, if such a thing presents itself (not likely). If someone makes an aggressive play for Provorov – hey, how about two first-rounders and a prospect? – he can do it if he likes it (possible).
Waddell can be as loud or quiet as he so chooses at the trade deadline because, no matter what happens before 3 p.m. Friday he will be in position to take the build to another level this summer. Provorov could be traded, or he could be kept with the risk of losing him for nothing on July 1. Maybe all of the pending UFAs, and all of the risks that go with them, will be kept for the stretch run. Although we’ve seen something like that before, this time around, summertime flexibility will not be compromised.
Waddell is, in a word, flexible. He’s also like a fan in that he can taste the playoffs right now and pine for the deliciousness. We almost forgot how much fun it’s supposed to be this time of year, eh? Maybe the Jackets will get it and maybe they won’t, but they’ll make Columbus proud. They already have.
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