What Seems To Have Worked

I agree with most of this and that with all probability not much is going to change going into next year. Of course, I would personally pay a lot for a Mario Ferraro type, but that ship seems to have definitely sailed with the Hertl trade.

Anyway, I'd try to get long-term (and hopefully high value) contracts on Johnson and Sillinger. Marchenko I'd sign long-term too. Chinakhov is the one I believe in the least of those four, so I'd sign him to a bridge deal. With that said, he has really taken a step forward this year. I'd be open to trading any one of them, but then it'd have to be for something crazy like Brady Tkachuk. My gut feeling is that Marchenko, Johnson and Sillinger will stick around. I don't know if either of Sillinger or Voronkov will be a 2C on a Stanley Cup contending team, though. I think Catton has the potential to be that, but it's far from guaranteed. If say Chinakhov and Catton or Brindley in this scenario could be used to trade for a really good 2C, I'd be open to moving them. If they draft Catton and he becomes a really good 2C, maybe you could use Chinakhov in a trade for a young top 4 RD right about when Gudbranson's contract expires.

Voronkov is quickly becoming untouchable to me. Everything has its price, of course, but it would take a lot to move him.

Provorov probably has maximum value around the trade deadline, for instance if Sergachev goes down for TBL again, so that's when I see them moving him, maybe at 50 % retention. A top 4LD with a cap hit of 2 362 500 should be worth something, I'd think. If Mateychuk needs another year, you can always trade Boqvist or Bean for someone like Lauzon.

I'm still hoping that Dumais will become a part of the forward core. He's so damn smart. If he does, that would make Columbus' forward side even stronger. Best-case scenario, I can see in a few years time:
Johnson - Fantilli - Laine
Gaudreau - Catton - Marchenko
Chinakhov - Voronkov - Dumais
Jenner - Sillinger - Brindley
Plus Texier, Nylander, Olivier and Nylander
That's a crazy amount of good forwards. So yeah, strengthening the D and G would be nice.

In summary, whoever is going to be the new GM of Columbus has a wealth of options and opportunities. As a Blue Jackets fan, I am really optimistic for the future.

I'd love Johnson, Sillinger, and Marchenko all signed long-term to 6+ year deals, but I think realistically it's only an option on Marchenko, who's closer to his ceiling and performed pretty consistently. I think he'd be the most open to it. Johnson took a step back, so I don't think he's looking to sign anything but a bridge until he proves he's going to command something like $7M plus. Sillinger has taken huge strides, so I think he'll sign a bridge to prove he deserves more as well. I've been really impressed by his last month plus, so I'd feel confident with him penciled in as a 2C on a contender. Realistically, I think he's going to be a stellar defensive 3C on a Cup-contending team.



Voronkov is untouchable right now, and honestly any of the forwards under the age of 24 should be until we can sort through who's going to be an impact player. I'd be much more open to moving a Laine or Jenner than even a Chinakhov right now.



That 4th line would be insane, even in a few years. With the D more or less sorted out long term (assuming Werenski, Jiricek, Mateychuk, Severson, and Gudbranson are all in it for the long haul), and some good internal options long term for G (Greaves, Ivanov, and even Tarasov has looked good recently), it really feels like the kind of group you package a few pieces for one superstar player in his mid-20s. Like a Tkachuk (not specifically, but that's the kind of player you'd target). Definitely some reason for optimism, even the last few games have felt different.

Absolutely agree. Laine's going to have to build up his trade value again, but if Columbus had the opportunity sometime soon to trade, say, Jenner and Chinakhov for a Tkachuk type of player, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Especially if they bring leadership qualities as well as superstar playing.


Yeah, just writing those lines down filled me with hope. And then I realised I had forgotten about Jenner. I do feel like Columbus need a replacement on RD for when Gudbranson's contract expires. But overall I'd say that Columbus are really well-poised to construct a very solid team for a long time moving forward. The new GM will have some critical decisions to make. If for instance Tkachuk wanted out of Ottawa, he needs to be decisive but well-balanced.

Fortunately 3RD is the kind of thing you can 1) sign in free agency with little risk, or 2) fill with a prospect, or 3) spend ~3rd at the TDL to acquire if neither of those work out in the first 3/4ths of the season (*cough* Boston *cough*).

I'm debating doing another ACGM if I have time coming up for players I'd target in a Tkachuk-like deal, but I wonder what kind of targets there would even be? A young, established NHL top-line winger that would extend long-term in Columbus that their current team is interested in moving for either lesser prospects or role middle-six players? That aren't redundant with current prospects (i.e. Zegras with Johnson)? Those don't grow on trees.

It could be centres too, though they are more valuable. Off the top of my head Aho, J. Hughes, Keller, Pettersson, Stützle, Tkachuk fit that mold. Of these, Ottawa seem least unlikely to decline if they are going to go through a re-tool. Or Keller, if the Coyotes have to move. Otherwise, I don't know, Robert Thomas?

A superstar deal like that will probably necessitate Columbus pouncing when relations between the player and his team collapsing.