Columbus Will Add a Forward
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Monday Morning Skate with Gord Stellick and Scott Laughlin. Pagnotta was asked about what the Columbus Blue Jackets will do at the deadline and he mentioned they are looking to add a forward.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Scott Laughlin: “I mean, let’s get into that a little bit too. And what you’ve picked up from Don ad to what his approach to the deadline is going to be, because it’s thought to be that Don felt like this team was probably a year or two away from being a serious contender, especially given the tragedy, of course, with the Gaudreau brothers in the off season and that sort of thing.
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We also know about the time that Sean Monahan missed with that injury. And before he went down, he was such a key contributor for that team, and going for the longest time, like did without Boone Jenner, and all of a sudden, you look at it now, and they’re in the playoff spot.
So I just wonder how much Don has changed his thinking with regards to going out to buy, to upgrade in a push for the playoffs, knowing that this team has done a lot and deservedly have put themselves into a position to potentially accomplish something.”
Dave Pagnotta: “I think they’re looking to add, certainly, to this roster. He mentioned that they’re close to a contract extension with Mathieu Olivier. He said it will be done relatively soon, which is a good sign to keep him in the mix. Big fan favorite there. Ivan Provorov. They’re not as close. He didn’t sound as confident, but he’s a pending UFA. But chances are, unless they’re getting blown out of the water by an offer, they’re likely to hold on to him as almost their own rental.
And you also mentioned Boone Jenner coming back. I mean, if you can add a 25-goal scorer without giving up anything effectively, that, I mean, that’s a huge boost. And to get their captain back, to have him in the lineup and in the locker room, just that alone regularly is a big boost. But to have his offensive capabilities basically as if they made a deadline acquisition so they’re going to look to see. They’ve got a lot of cap space and a lot of flexibility.
Now, one of the things Don Waddell did mention was the importance of bringing in somebody that can gel with this group and connects with this group in the room. It’s pretty much as important as the type of talent he can bring on the ice. So they’re going to look for a quality individual that can come in and help this team, and if they can add a little bit of extra punch up front, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Columbus end up doing that by Friday’s deadline.”
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NHLRumors.com Note: According to sources, the Columbus Blue Jackets do want to add a forward. Initially, Columbus was thought to be sellers, but their current winning streak has them in wild card one in the East. They were in on Gustav Nyquist before the Minnesota Wild were able to close the deal. But the Blue Jackets are definitely in the market to add. The question will be who they target.
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