COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Blue Jackets:
Item No. 1: What’s the deal?
Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was on a scouting trip in Finland and Sweden when a trade involving defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov began taking shape with the Boston Bruins. The two clubs made sense as trade partners, and it wasn’t long before the parameters of a trade were settled, likely on Feb. 11 or 12.
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The Blue Jackets were so convinced a trade was happening that Gavrikov was pulled from the lineup on Feb. 14 against New Jersey to avoid injury and was told to keep his cell phone charged and nearby. In the dressing room, Blue Jackets players wondered if it was too soon to start saying goodbye.
The Bruins asked for more time before the trade was called in to the NHL’s central registry, where all trades are logged and verified before they are official, according to a league source with knowledge of the discussions. But the Blue Jackets were convinced that a trade was happening, and that was still the case when Gavrikov was scratched on Feb. 16 vs. Winnipeg.
Kekalainen flew home on Feb. 17, still firm in his belief that he had his trade.
So what changed between this point and last Thursday, when Boston landed a huge trade with Washington, acquiring defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnett Hathaway in exchange for forward Craig Smith and three draft picks, including a first-round pick this summer?
The landscape changed.
Washington has had a tough season with injuries (Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, John Carlson, etc.) and endured a difficult situation recently when star winger Alex Ovechkin left the club to be with his family following the death of his father.
The Capitals have been a “bubble” team much of the season — they were still only one point out of a playoff spot heading into Sunday’s games — but a recent six-game losing streak convinced GM Brian MacLellan to become a seller at the deadline, making Orlov, Hathaway and others available via trade.
By all accounts, the Bruins did nothing wrong. Kekalainen would have been perfectly justified to accept another trade for Gavrikov if one had become available, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. He waited — and waited — because it was not only a fair offer, but the best offer he had.
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According to one league source, the Bruins had requested the Blue Jackets include fourth-line winger Mathieu Olivier in the trade with Gavrikov. That makes sense, as the acquisition of Hathaway in the deal with Washington suggests the Bruins were looking for a physical presence.
But Boston, by waiting a few extra days, was able to land Orlov and Hathaway, two impact players on a club that’s already been the best in the league since the first week of the season.
The Blue Jackets are still shopping Gavrikov. On Saturday, they recalled defenseman Billy Sweezey from AHL Cleveland so that they could have an extra defenseman for Sunday’s game in Minnesota. Gavrikov is expected to be a healthy scratch for a seventh straight game.
If they can land a first-round pick for Gavrikov — Edmonton, Los Angeles and Toronto are seen as likely destinations — the pick potentially could be flipped to acquire defenseman Jakob Chychrun in a trade with Arizona. That is, if Los Angeles or another team doesn’t deal for Chychrun first.
But getting a first-round pick for Gavrikov might not be so simple. In an already tough season for the Blue Jackets, the trade with the Bruins falling through is another tough blow.
And for Boston, landing Orlov and Hathaway is further proof that this might just be the Bruins’ year.
Item No. 2: Blue Jackets brokerage
This season’s NHL trade deadline will be remembered for two suddenly popular phrases: “trade-related reasons” and “third-party brokers.”
The first is a reference to how clubs are handling players they are certain of trading. (Well, mostly certain.) Players are being removed from the lineup for “trade-related reasons,” a practice that used to be called “asset protection” and was done only a day or two before the deadline arrived. Not three weeks.
The second has been all the rage for a few seasons now. It’s when a third club involves itself into an agreed-upon trade by taking on a portion of a player’s salary in exchange for compensation (typically draft picks) so the deal can fit under the other club’s salary cap.
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The Athletic’s Mike Russo and Joe Smith explained the process this week in a way that was easy to digest.
The Blue Jackets, according to CapFriendly, have approximately $8 million in salary-cap space due to defenseman Zach Werenski being placed on long-term injured reserve. They’re one of the few clubs with space to “weaponize” as March 3 draws near.
Asked if the Blue Jackets would serve as a third-party broker, Kekalalinen said: “Potentially.”
Why so vague? Well, it depends on the price. The NHL marketplace is still volatile when it comes to setting a price for these draft picks.
Last week, Minnesota GM Bill Guerin helped Toronto and St. Louis swing a trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs, and was well-compensated for his assistance.
The Wild took on one-fourth of O’Reilly’s $7.5 million salary cap hit ($1.875 million) and paid one-fourth of his remaining (and pro-rated) salary. Since his salary is “only” $1 million — the rest was paid in signing bonuses — the Wild paid roughly $74,000 for a fourth-round pick.
A few days later, the Wild stepped in to help Boston fit Orlov under the cap. They paid one-fourth of his remaining salary, or $88,000, for a fifth-round pick.
Give Guerin credit for paying a modest price for mid-round draft picks. You never know what you may unearth later in the draft. Kirill Kaprizov, for instance, was a fifth-round pick (No. 135) in 2015.
Others have paid a higher price tag.
Only a year earlier, Florida GM Bill Zito served as a third-party broker in a trade that sent Max Domi from the Blue Jackets to Carolina. The Panthers took on one-fourth of Domi’s remaining salary, or approximately $300,000, to help Domi fit under Carolina’s cap.
The return was only a sixth-round draft pick and a middling KHL prospect.
Item No. 3: Poor tanking
The Blue Jackets headed into Sunday’s game in Minnesota on a 4-2-1 run in their last seven games. That’s not exactly a burner in the NHL, but it’s the best stretch they’ve had all season … and it’s been enough to worry those who have turned this season over to getting the best possible chances in the draft lottery.
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On Feb. 10, after a 3-0 loss to Toronto at home, the Blue Jackets were last in the league’s overall standings, trailing 31st-place Chicago by three points.
Now, after earning nine points in seven games, including Saturday’s 6-5 win over Edmonton, the Blue Jackets remain in last place, two points behind Anaheim.
It’s a testament to how difficult it is to make up ground in the standings, especially in the era of three-point games, but also a sign that the other clubs in the Battle for Bedard have started to play pretty well, too.
Arizona just had a nine-game point streak (5-0-4) snapped with a loss to Calgary. Chicago has won five straight games, including wins over Toronto, Vegas and Dallas. Anaheim has won two straight in regulation for only the third time this season. San Jose has wrestled with .500 (4-5-3) over the last few weeks.
The Blue Jackets couldn’t have asked for more out of Saturday. They won a rousing game against the Oilers, then got help later in the day when Anaheim won in Carolina and Chicago won in overtime in San Jose.
Here’s where it gets tough for the Blue Jackets, though: 12 of their next 15 games are on the road, starting today against the Wild.
Item No. 4: Snacks
• Blue Jackets rookie Kirill Marchenko, with two more goals on Saturday vs. Edmonton, now has 16 on the season. He’s ranked second among NHL rookies, trailing only Seattle center Matty Beniers, but Marchenko is closing in on the Columbus franchise record for goals by a rookie. Dubois had 20 goals in 2017-18. Remarkably, Marchenko has done his damage in only 36 games.
• The NHL hasn’t set a date yet for this year’s draft lottery. They typically wait for the playoff matchups to take shape, then find a night that works fairly early in the postseason. Last spring, it was held late in the first round. In 2021, it was held early in the second round. We’d expect it to be held this year in the last half of April or early May. Stay tuned.
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• Over his last 16 starts, Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is 7-6-2 with a .921 save percentage. Korpisalo allowed five goals in Saturday’s win over Edmonton, but he played pretty well. He finished with 42 saves, including 22 in the third period. It marked the fourth time this season Korpisalo has had 40 or more saves. The highlight on Saturday was a right-to-left glove save on Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl in the first period, the second time he’s robbed him on a similar play this season. This was from Jan. 25:
Oh my god this save by Joonas Korpisalo on Leon Draisaitl was so sick!!! #CBJ save of the year pic.twitter.com/W3DZCmtBHu
— Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) January 26, 2023
• We’re told the Blue Jackets recently met with Michigan freshman center Adam Fantilli when the Wolverines played Ohio State in Columbus this month. The Wolverines have limited Fantilli’s availability each week because he’s been in high demand. He has 20-30-50 in 29 games as a Big Ten freshman, leading the league in points per game (1.72) and goals per game (.69). He’s 6 feet 2, 195 pounds. In most other years, Fantilli would be the most sought-after player in the draft, but Connor Bedard’s performance at the IIHF World Junior Championship shot him into the stratosphere.
• While major North American cities have hosted multiple outdoor NHL games, the Blue Jackets and Ohio State haven’t figured out a way to get a game staged in venerable Ohio Stadium. By all accounts, the NHL is tapping its toes, waiting for the green light should the two parties ever get together on this.
It’s taken so long — the league has played Winter Classic, Stadium Series and Heritage Classic games for 15 seasons now — that these outdoor games have started to lose their luster with some. The snag here in central Ohio is the estimated $8 million price tag to winterize Ohio Stadium so that a game could be played in the depths of winter (remember winter?) without pipes bursting. Neither the Blue Jackets nor Ohio State want to foot the entire bill.
• The NHL and the Blue Jackets believed the expansion of the college football playoffs, and the possibility that Ohio State may be required to host a playoff game, could prompt Ohio State to pay for winterizing The ‘Shoe. But Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith shot that theory down. At first, Smith told The Columbus Dispatch the Buckeyes would give up the home date and play the game in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, which is a dome. Soon thereafter, Smith changed course to say the game could be held in Ohio Stadium in late December without it being winterized.
Here’s Smith talking to The Athletic recently: “That Dec. 20 window … historically we haven’t had significant inclement weather at that time,” he said. “We typically begin to winterize the stadium — drain the pipes, all those kind of things — in mid-to-late December. So we’re kind of right on that bubble. We could host (a college football playoff game) with no problem. It’s different if you’re going to host a game in January or February.”
(Photo of Vladislav Gavrikov: James Guillory / USA Today)
