Blue Jackets weighing offers on top Trade Target David Jiricek

Tick tock. There’s never been a November quite like this one in recent NHL history – with the pressure seemingly getting to some teams barely a month and a half into the season. We’ve seen coaching changes, minor trades and memos indicating teams are open for business, and some of those things have occurred with some of the better rosters in the league.

Yet, we haven’t had a real trade of significance to this point. That is likely to soon change as it seems to be a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ the Blue Jackets move defenseman David Jiricek. Sources indicated Columbus has engaged with as many as five or six teams, who have tabled legitimate offers for the uber-talented future power play quarterback who hasn’t really been given a chance for the Blue Jackets. The Minnesota Wild were considered by many to be the front-runner for Jiricek, but the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyes have all been in the mix.

The Blue Jackets have gone pretty far down the track on a Jiricek deal, with GM Don Waddell using the last day or two to fully canvass the league and ensure he has not left any stones unturned. We’ve also got the New York Rangers ready to make moves and the Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and maybe even Boston Bruins looking to shake things up.

Here are 20 names in play on our latest Trade Targets board:

Trade Targets 🎯

1. David Jiricek
Right Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 20
Stats: 6 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $918,333 AAV
Scoop: How did we get here? The No. 6 overall pick from 2022 has been mishandled by different regimes and different coaching staffs now. Last year, he was shuttled back and forth between AHL Cleveland and Columbus in a lost season, with seemingly little still to prove in the minors. This year, he’d been scratched in favor of 37-year-old Jack Johnson, Jake Christiansen and waiver claim Dante Fabbro, and the Blue Jackets assigned Jiricek to the AHL last week.

2. Marcus Pettersson
Left Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 28
Stats: 23 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4,025,175 AAV
Scoop: Since the Penguins are open for business, Pettersson is one of the few players on the roster with real trade value. He’s in the final year of his deal at a reasonable cap number and he plays a solid enough game to be a reliable No. 4 defenseman. Where Pettersson struggles, with the puck on the breakout making a solid first pass, will limit his market in some ways. And the Pens only have one retained salary transaction remaining, so GM Kyle Dubas will need to be judicious in selecting which contract he’ll retain on.

3. Morgan Frost
Center, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 25
Stats: 18 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $2.1 million AAV
Scoop: In need of an obvious change of scenery, Frost has a few things going for him on the trade market. He’s a center and the position is particularly highly in-demand this season. And he has shown that he still has the potential to be a higher-end point producer. Two seasons ago, Frost netted 19 goals and 46 points as a 23-year-old. Last year, he was a frequent target of healthy scratches, and he still collected 41 points. John Tortorella said recently he “can’t coach him that way anymore,” as it wouldn’t be fair to Frost. So what is fair?

4. Rasmus Ristolainen
Right Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 30
Stats: 22 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5.1 million AAV
Scoop: The defense market is thinning with each and every extension. Ristolainen’s name has circulated through the rumor mill and the Flyers are hoping he will generate enough buzz between now and March to net a solid return. Teams are still drawn to his size, though his ability to defend is still a question mark and his point production has slid. Staying healthy and on the ice will help everyone’s cause.

5. Ivan Provorov
Right Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 27
Stats: 20 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.725 million AAV
Scoop: Interest will be ramping up in Provorov, who was on our Trade Targets board over the summer, but is now into the final year of his deal before becoming a free agent. He’s a great skater and with confidence can be an impact piece. It’s important to keep in mind: Provorov has already had his salary retained once (by Los Angeles), so his current $4.725 million is only able to be cut in half once more as GM Don Waddell considers his options.

6. Jacob Trouba
Right Defense, New York Rangers
Age: 30
Stats: 20 GP, 0 G, 6 A, 6 Pts
Contract: One year remaining, $8 million AAV
Scoop: Earlier this week, Rangers GM Chris Drury sent a memo to the league’s other 31 GMs that he was open for business. Two names in particular were mentioned in his captain, Trouba, and also Chris Kreider. Trouba is definitely less of a surprise. His name surfaced in trade talks last summer around the Draft, as the Rangers were looking to shake things up after a Conference Final loss to the Panthers. Despite his apparent shortcomings, Trouba is still a 6-foot-3 intimidating presence with a year left on his deal and he’s an attractive add.

7. Yanni Gourde
Center, Seattle Kraken
Age: 32
Stats: 22 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5,166,667 AAV
Scoop: The Kraken have gotten calls on Gourde but don’t appear to be in any rush to move him – though it’s certainly trending in that direction before March 7. Gourde’s production has fallen as steadily as his ice time so far this season. He’s on track for just 30 points over 82 games as new coach Dan Bylsma has mostly used him in a third-line role that has cut him back more than two minutes per game from his average in Seattle. No matter what, he’s still formerly a big contributor to a two-time Stanley Cup winner whom teams will want to acquire.

8. Joel Farabee
Left Wing, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 24
Stats: 22 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: This isn’t Farabee’s first appearance on the Trade Targets board – and the reason hasn’t changed. He’s still in need of a change of scenery. Last year, Farabee still produced 20 even-strength goals and 50 total points despite his seemingly perpetual position in John Tortorella’s doghouse. Imagine what he could do with a fresh start? The Flyers are open to anything and everything. And his contract shouldn’t be viewed as a detriment, but a positive, because the prime of his career is already locked up at a reasonable number.

9. Josh Norris
Center, Ottawa Senators
Age: 25
Stats: 21 GP, 8 G, 6 A, 14 Pts
Contract: 5 years remaining, $7.95 million AAV
Scoop: After a solid start, a disastrous November (4-7-1) has left a feeling of the same-old, same-old for the Sens. That’s led to conversations around the league and while teams are interested in Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig and others in Ottawa’s forward group, the belief is Norris might be one of the first to go in a shakeup. The big detractor is his repeated shoulder injury that appears to be in a good place now. He has five years and nearly $47 million remaining on his deal in real cash, which doesn’t help. But this is still a natural center who scored 35 goals as a 22-year-old.

10. Trevor Zegras
Left Wing, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 23
Stats: 20 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.75 million AAV
Scoop: Not every quarter to a season is equal, because it already feels like a loooong year for Zegras with the Ducks. He’s collected just a handful of points so far, though he’s shown a bit of life with five points in his past five games. It’s a far cry from the 65-point player we saw in 2022-23 who was oozing passion for the game and was one of the brightest young stars, on the cover of a video game. GM Pat Verbeek doesn’t seem to be a believer in the player and the player could certainly use a change of scenery. He’s played like a shell of his former self – though maybe that’s lifting with another lacrosse-style goal this week.

11. Brandon Tanev
Right Wing, Seattle Kraken
Age: 32
Stats: 22 GP, 5 G, 3 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Kraken may be forced to move a forward once defenseman Vince Dunn returns from injury and Tanev is a candidate given the interest in his game. He’s a fierce forechecker with speed and competitive juice that teams crave. He’s also been productive: Tanev has five goals in 22 games after scoring seven in 66 games last season. That makes him an ideal trade deadline target once the Kraken begin to make decisions, but nothing is imminent quite yet.

12. Frank Vatrano
Right Wing, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 30
Stats: 19 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3.65 million AAV
Scoop: Maybe the Ducks should have moved Vatrano last year during an all-world outlier season? Vatrano couldn’t miss last year, collecting a career-best 37 goals, crushing his previous high of 24. He beat his previous career best in points by nearly 50 percent, hitting 60 points, and was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time. He’s now in the final year of his deal and his scoring has dropped, but he was excellent for the Rangers in the 2022 playoffs as a deadline addition.

13. Mike Matheson
Left Defense, Montréal Canadiens
Age: 30
Stats: 20 GP, 1 G, 12 A, 13 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.875 million AAV
Scoop: Given the thin nature of their blueline, and their need to better support young defensemen assimilating into the lineup, the Canadiens don’t really want to move Matheson. But they may not have a choice given that his value will be arguably its highest before this deadline. Did you know Matheson was ninth among defensemen scoring last year with 62 points? He moves the puck, is comfortable playing the right side, and actually defends better than he’s given credit for when proper expectations are set. What the Canadiens will have to weigh is: they don’t really need many more picks, they need more tangible help.

14. Dan Vladar
Goaltender, Calgary Flames
Age: 27
Stats: 10 GP, 2.67 GAA, .903 Sv%
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.2 million AAV
Scoop: Very quietly, 23-year-old Dustin Wolf has entered the Calder Trophy conversation. And third goaltender Devin Cooley has been, well, on fire with a sterling .940 save percentage for the AHL’s Wranglers. That leaves Vladar as the obvious trade piece, now in the final year of his deal before becoming a free agent. He’s responded well following offseason surgery, putting up his best numbers in three seasons despite shouldering the tougher starts while Wolf finds his NHL footing.

15. Cam Fowler
Left Defense, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 32
Stats: 12 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $6.5 million AAV
Scoop: As Fowler returns from injury and closes in on becoming the second player to skate in all 1,000 games with the Anaheim Ducks (Ryan Getzlaf is the only), the Ducks and Fowler have been open and honest about what might come next. His minutes have been reduced as his production has slipped. He’d probably like to play on a more competitive team. It’s been a tough environment in Anaheim and most everyone’s game has been challenged, but with term on his deal, Fowler will be a really interesting piece.

16. Trent Frederic
Left Wing, Boston Bruins
Age: 26
Stats: 23 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.3 million AAV
Scoop: GM Don Sweeney shook things up in a big way by firing coach Jim Montgomery after a run that included parts of three seasons at a .715 points percentage. If he wants to do it again, Frederic is a guy who has drawn lots of interest from around the league. He’s a pain in the ass to play against. He competes. And he scores – 18 goals last season, 17 the year prior. Frederic is the perfect bottom-six forward and the Bruins have proven they can mine those guys better than any other team.

17. Mario Ferraro
Left Defense, San Jose Sharks
Age: 26
Stats: 24 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $3.25 million AAV
Scoop: Teams have kept close tabs on Ferraro over the years as a guy who competes like hell and works. His game isn’t flashy, but his smile says it all. He’s a grinder. And he’s got term. And he doesn’t make a ton. Ferraro is personable and really well liked, and the Sharks certainly don’t have to move him. But he perhaps has the most valuable of any tradable player on the Sharks without a need to retain salary, so he should be in the mix.

18. Alexandre Carrier
Right Defense, Nashville Predators
Age: 28
Stats: 22 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3.75 million AAV
Scoop: Sources indicate teams have been asking about Carrier as the Predators have stumbled out of the gate. Even though Nashville might have interest in beefing up its defense, not weakening it, Carrier has value on the market in the first year of his three-year deal that was signed on the opening of free agency to stay. There isn’t one facet of Carrier’s game that necessarily stands out, but he is well-rounded and good at almost everything, and he’s been a reliable and low-maintenance player.

19. Mathieu Olivier
Right Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 27
Stats: 20 GP, 6 G, 3 A, 9 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $1.1 million AAV
Scoop: Olivier checks all of the boxes as the classic deadline pickup. Pending free agent? Check. Brings energy? Check. Hits everything that moves? Check. Scores the odd goal? Check. Surprisingly, Olivier has already racked up six goals barely a quarter of the way into the season, shooting 25.0 percent from the floor. He’s also good for about three hits a game and has three fights in the month of November.

20. Chris Kreider
Left Wing, New York Rangers
Age: 33
Stats: 19 GP, 9 G, 0 A, 9 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $6.5 million AAV
Scoop: Kreider is in a bit of a different spot than Trouba as a trade candidate. He’s a career Ranger: third on the all-time franchise list in goals (313), 10th in points and 10th in games played. He’s also one of the best net-front presence players in the world and plays an integral role on New York’s power play. He may be available. But for a team with a mandate to win, is it possible to make an in-season Kreider trade and still make the team better? That will be tough to do.

_____

POST SPONSORED BY bet365

_____

Recently by Frank Seravalli

• Pettersson, Ristolainen, Provorov headline first Trade Targets board of 2024-25
• With Sabres at crossroads, GM Kevyn Adams mulls a shakeup
• NHL reports only 55 players wearing neck guards despite no shortage of ‘close calls’
• Sources: Blues’ Dylan Holloway ‘will be OK,’ airway is clear after taking puck to throat area
• Projecting every 4 Nations Face-Off roster, one month before teams are finalized
• Made in Helsinki: How Finland put Panthers GM Bill Zito on path to NHL glory