Defenseman Trade Market For Blue Jackets

The last time the Blue Jackets had a puck-moving defenseman, his name was Adam Foote. I promised myself that I would not utter his name on this site, but it was inevitable. Foote basically forced the trade and the rumor was that he packed his bags and already sent them to Colorado, even before the trade happened. Foote has yet to play in Columbus since the trade, “strange and mysterious” injuries have caused him to miss the game in Columbus since the trade.

The free agent market doesn’t have many scoring defenseman in this year’s class. The one guy that has Columbus rumored to be interested in is 39-year old, Sergei Zubov. He missed most of last season with a serious injury and it would be extremely risky to sign him to a mid-level money contract that I’m sure he would demand. The risk could pay off if he plays well, he has playoff experience and has been on some great teams. I would like to see them sign Zubov if they can get him with a cheap one-year deal.

Another big rumor is for the Blue Jackets to make a trade with Toronto for Tomas Kaberle. He makes over $4 million a year, so the Blue Jackets would have to eat a lot of salary to make the trade work. The Blue Jackets would probably have to send their young Russian prospect, Maxim Mayorov, since Toronto would need some young talent in return. If the Blue Jackets believe that they are just one or two players away from challenging Detroit in the Western Conference, they should do it. I think that they are still a couple years away. Mayorov will be ready by then and could possibly be a nice piece by 2010-11.

The San Jose Sharks seem to have a lot of extra defenseman on their roster and still have some players to sign and fill up their roster. I’m not sure who the Sharks would covet in return, but maybe a guy like Dan Boyle would fit in Columbus. He has Stanley Cup Finals experience with Tampa Bay and can put in some goals. It could be interesting, since the Sharks wouldn’t want any high-priced players in return.

Regardless of who the Blue Jackets trade with, they need to realize that they are still a very young team. The success of the Pittsburgh Penguins was great, but it’s rare that a young team can have success that early. The Penguins signed some veterans around the young core players and found success. Columbus cannot trade their young, elite talent for established players right now. If they traded for a “good” scoring defenseman, are they good enough to make the Stanley Cup Finals? My answer would be “No.” It would be good enough for a better seed in the Western Conference, but you will still meet up with Detroit or Chicago at some point. They need to build on last season’s success and maybe get deeper in the playoffs. If they make it to the 2nd or Conference Finals next season, I would would re-think my stance. Until then, the Blue Jackets need to build with what they have and wish for a great season.

Tags: adam foote, Add new tag, dan boyle, maxim mayorov, sergei zubov, tomas kaberle