Armchair GM: Projecting the Roster for Acquisition Role Fits

Detailing Evason Tendencies, Examining a Roster with No Changes, Pairing Forwards to Create Roles, Diving into Defense Pairs, Examining Roster-wide Stylistic Deficiencies, Potential Trade Chips

Primer

This is the second breakdown in the 2025 Offseason Armchair GM Series. I’ll dive deep into the specifics of Evason’s roster deployment and potential forward/defense combinations to see who fits, who doesn’t and what kind of players Waddell could add to help move the Blue Jackets forward.

Armchair GM: Comparing CBJ to Cup Winners

Cup Checklist Objectives:

1. Find Shutdown Players

   1. Matchup Forwards

   2. Shutdown Defensemen

2. Grow Fantilli, Kent Johnson and Mateychuk

3. Maintain Werenski, Monahan, Marchenko

4. Integrate Lindstrom, Elick, Brindley (Perhaps Two Years From Now)

5. Replace Jenner, Provorov, Severson, Gudbranson

6. Find a Star Goaltender (Jet Greaves? 👉👈)

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Evason Tendencies

Dean Evason’s deployment preferences, and system, all but demand a matchup line, especially if we observe the success in Minnesota of Jordan Greenway-Joel Eriksson-Ek-Marcus Foligno, so we must take that into consideration when outlining the team.

One of the perhaps unique tendencies, especially early in the season, was to use other lines (namely Pyyhtia-Sillinger-Johnson) to put the top unit (Chinakhov-Monahan-Marchenko, Werenski-Provorov to start, Voronkov-Monahan-Marchenko, Werenski-Fabbro later) in offensive situations before he settled into a more power-on-power approach.

With the growth of Marchenko defensively, and even the late season emergence of play-driving from Adam Fantilli, might mean the units being put in offensive situations is changing. The most important area for improvement of the versatility of deployment might be the puck-moving and defensive capacity of defense pairs outside of Zach Werenski. If his late season drop in production was a signal, finding Werenski fewer minutes and keeping his legs fresher should be a primary objective.

In general, the defensive capacity of the forwards must be improved and is perhaps the biggest single area for improvement potential. Sillinger and Fantilli, both with very poor defensive impacts, comprised the entirety of the spine of the Blue Jackets’ middle six. Fantilli demonstrated some late season growth as a possession-dictator but in my opinion Sillinger must be improved in order to slot the more skilled players into the best position possible.

Evason also loved the ZAR-Danforth-Olivier line and though Danforth doesn’t have a contract, it’s a reasonable fourth line for the NHL team and one that the Blue Jackets would be served well to push into that deployment rather than the third line they played as through the past season.

Generally, given the trends of line constructions and system asks we observed, the Blue Jackets rolled with a Small Space Forward, a Supportive Center and a Weakside/Puck Dominant wing but also asked for positional interchangeability. Most successful lines supported this construction heuristic but that may simply have been a response to the personnel on the roster.

Player Availability Status

For the purposes of roster construction and offseason target acquisition, it’s generally useful to bin players who will not be considered for moves, the “core” if you will. In reality, there are extremely few “untouchable” players, especially for a front office that believes in their talent acquisition and deal-making abilities, but perhaps a good number of “effectively untouchable” players.

For the Blue Jackets, I believe the “effectively untouchable” players are: Sean Monahan, Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Cayden Lindstrom and Denton Mateychuk. The front office might have a few more leadership figures in there but it’s the best start.

For the purposes of this offseason, I think those players are the ones worth building around (though Lindstrom won’t be in the NHL next year, it’s hard to see an NHL GM move a top 5 pick they so recently made). If the right offers comes Don’s way, I can see angles for any of the last three to be moved but these would be considerable offers for nothing except direct upgrades that fit long term.

Others, like recently signed Mathieu Olivier, current captain Boone Jenner (a perfect fit on a matchup line), No-Trade Clause owner Damon Severson and perhaps named leader Erik Gudbranson represent players who it feels like the front office wouldn’t want to or would have a hard time moving.

I would hope that they’d be available for the right offer, especially considering their relative lack of involvement in the resurgent season and shortly expiring contracts, but I don’t buy Waddell relinquishing his locker room advantage just yet. It’s possible, however, that his glowing praise to the media is simply pumping value.

Current Lines, No Offseason Additions

• Chinakhov-Monahan-Marchenko

• Voronkov-Fantilli-Johnson

• Jenner-Sillinger-Olivier

• Zach Aston-Reese - Luca Del Bel Belluz (Jack Williams?) - Gavin Brindley

The fourth line is filled with youth, but that’s perhaps not overly concerning considering it should be the easiest to fill out. Danforth could re-sign, James van Riemsdyk could re-sign, etc.

• Werenski - Severson

• Mateychuk - Gudbranson

• Hunt - Christiansen

The elephants in the room are pending UFAs Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov. Waddell reportedly wants to re-sign both which would but the roster in a strange spot. Jordan Harris is also an RFA but it’s not easy to see him having a position on the roster next season.

• Werenski - Fabbro

• Provorov - Severson

• Mateychuk - Gudbranson

If the UFAs are re-signed and otherwise the same as last season I personally prefer to put Mateychuk in a more dominant role. Gudbranson is the “paying rent” partner where until Mateychuk establishes that he can succeed in spite of him/carry him (earn a coaches trust) we’ll probably all be frustrated. I see it as the Ryan Suter to Thomas Harley. I am not a fan of Erik Gudbranson but, at the same time, he is clearly not to blame for defensive struggles last season since he was injured for almost all of it.

We know Evason hates, or hated as the year went on, Damon Severson. How Waddell handles that remains to be seen. He has a full No-Trade clause but is eligible to be waived, a la Trouba, which could be held leveraged against him.

Projected Lines and Holes

Forward Lines

Let’s form some lines to examine holes working under the assumption that the Blue Jackets stick with the forward pairs that they ended last season with: Monahan and Marchenko together, Fantilli and Johnson together, and then work to fill the space around them.

• Jenner-Monahan-Marchenko

• JvR-Fantilli-Johnson

• Voronkov-Sillinger-Olivier

• ZAR-Kuraly-Danforth

JvR, Danforth and Kuraly are currently unsigned. Jenner and Olivier represent the greatest potential to upgrade the roster if they are pushed from their current positions and positioned more as matchup or depth options respectively. If the Blue Jackets are keeping Sillinger, this is a good stylistic line to place him in.

This leaves the following as the loose structure to plan for an offseason. Players in parentheses should be looked to be upgraded or pushed into more desirable roster positions. Chinakhov, if he can stay healthy and in peak form, would be a welcome addition to either the top-line or a checking line.

• (Voronkov)-Monahan-Marchenko

• XXX-Fantilli-Johnson

• Jenner-(Sillinger)-(Chinakhov)

• (ZAR)-XXX-Olivier

I think there’s plenty of room for Fantilli and Monahan to switch roles, either one being favored in offensive situations, and that Fantilli and Marchenko have worked together as have Monahan and Johnson should only serve to help Evason tactically tweak the lineup.

It’s important to consider the strengths and weakness of each forward pair on the search for potential “third wheels”.

Top Line

• XXX - Sean Monahan - Kirill Marchenko

These two have simply too much chemistry to separate. I think there’s plenty of room to believe that Monahan could be used differently, especially if Fantilli takes a leap into a true 1C role, but no lines will remain together regardless.

The Blue Jackets have three in-house solutions for this role that they deployed throughout the year.

Yegor Chinakhov offered a pacier, vertical threat and rush dimension to the line. Replacing his role on the line could look a lot like finding another high speed, direct line player who can help create space behind for Monahan and Marchenko to problem solve. That could also be a primary puck carrier, though I think Marchenko looked his best when given the keys to the offense, especially if they can really hold pucks and stretch defenses.

Dmitri Voronkov a more dominant net-front and back wall game to the mix. He and Marchenko have a good sense where eachother are on the ice and their capacity to exchange pucks, especially in small spaces after recoveries or rebounds, lead to a lot of in-zone offense that looked frankly difficult to stop. Monahan and Marchenko are great on the wall, especially when working together, and adding a Voronkov or a player like him (with perhaps a bit better skating) means they have an unstoppable creation identity.

Boone Jenner offered raw matchup prowess and trust from the coach that means they’ll be in every single situation. Monahan and Marchenko created rebounds, he got to them with proficiency. He’s a bit better shooter than Voronkov but added a volatility to possession that disrupted their ultimate chemistry.

If you squint and optimistically project, Cayden Lindstrom sure looks like a fantastic replacement for that slot. I think he should be given the chance to prove that he isn’t a center in the NHL but the role fit is aligned.

A player who fits this specific “hole” would likely be a powerful forechecker who can lean into the takeaway identity of the best two players. Voronkov found unprecedented success in the small-space on the back wall. Kirill Marchenko and Sean Monahan are good playmakers and Marchenko will put the puck on the net in volume, so rebounding ability is a great add. That said, more play-making and play-connecting could help Kirill Marchenko lean into being the dominant goalscorer he very well could become.

You know Marchenko and Monahan are great players simply because of how many different playstyles could fit next to them. It’s a fascinating position ripe with potential for significant roster improvement.

Offensive Youth

• XXX - Adam Fantilli - Kent Johnson

Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson combined late in the season and demolished the Washington Capitals among others. It’s a partnership ripe with explosive growth potential, each player with theoretically complementary skillsets who finally combined to add a much needed dimension to the Blue Jackets.

They are both young, however, and lack a more intelligent and connective dimension. That will come with growth but James van Riemsdyk’s role on this lane late in the season was instructive. If these two are put in attacking situations, the puck delivered up to them in space, they will create offense. They each have the skillset to do it for eachother, they just need to find it.

Most importantly, need someone to work the net-front and someone who won’t take away puck touches but can still help attack through the neutral zone in possession. That’s not an easy task and is a quite specific skillset.

JvR represents an excellent emergency option for this role. In the middle of the season, we saw Dmitri Voronkov play it as well. Those remain options.

Perhaps somewhat ironically, the best collection of those skills, save for the net-front perhaps, is owned by Kirill Marchenko. I think we’ll see that bear out in the data coming forward.

That is, likely, not the best talent distribution but it’s worth considering. If those three could make it work and share the puck, and Kent Johnson return to his mobile net-front game, it could be an elite offensive line. That would mean the Blue Jackets can add a player that works next to Sean Monahan.

Otherwise, this line needs play connection, likely veterancy, and, preferentially, a right handed connector at that. Both of these players have the top-end skill to score goals but their approach could use some maturation. If the Blue Jackets want to find a player who can succeed in this hole, they’ll need someone who can make an impact without a lot of puck touches and who will put these two on center stage without dragging them down.

Matchup

• (Jenner) - (Sillinger) - (Chinakhov)

This line is the most subject to change. If the Blue Jackets want to deploy a true matchup line in pursuit of the playoffs, Boone Jenner is the best on-roster option for center.

Cole Sillinger, if last year was instructive, isn’t ready for a true matchup deployment. He grew as a forechecker, and the late season line of Voronkov-Sillinger-Olivier was very well aligned to each of their strengths, and could be worth a shot as a third line if the top-six can take matchups, but there’s just too much poor decision making and defensive miscues to lean into it long term. An offseason of stellar growth can always change anything.

Yegor Chinakhov, should he stay healthy, is nearly an ideal player to put on just such a line. Reading between the lines suggests that he might be on the move this offseason and that he might not take kindly to such a deployment, but his intensity, pace and wall-work mean he’d be a nightmare for skilled opposition forwards. His offensive approach is “low calorie” and perfect to be placed next to players who just want to muck around at the net front and recover pucks along the walls. He can skate fast enough to reliably generate shots from midrange but doesn’t necessarily have the desire to build play to create high danger looks.

Dean Evason loved putting Mathieu Olivier in difficult minutes. He brought little in the way of offense but scored enough to make up for that. He, and Danforth for that matter, did perform well in these minutes. In all likelihood, Olivier retains a spot here but Waddell should have greater ambition.

Otherwise, this line is ripe for significant improvement. Outside of Olivier, the Blue Jackets don’t really have any right handed players who project to matchup roles. A player of this type could help create a dominant matchup line especially if they can take faceoffs. Having two opposite handed faceoff takers means their faceoff-winning potential makes them easy to deploy in the defensive zone against the opposition’s best.

The “third line” can very much be considered “around the edges” so this might be just where Waddell focuses his efforts.

The Fourth Line

The Blue Jackets already have Zach Aston-Reese and Mathieu Olivier under contract, but I think the fourth line could represent potential for some creative roster management.

Luca Del Bel Belluz impressed in a small sample, especially as a right-time play connector and play supporter, but it’s difficult to see him earn a spot higher in the lineup. Though I don’t know that limited minutes are the way to go, I can see a line comprised of JvR-LDBB-Olivier working in the situations that Evason put the fourth line in last season.

Furthermore, it remains to be seen how the org feels about Gavin Brindley this season (he was scratched in the playoffs, didn’t score many points in the second half, but did play a heavy defensive role with non-scoring linemates) but he could fit in the right slot well also.

All things considered, the fourth line generally isn’t something worth worrying about too much. Hopefully, Don Waddell finds some low cost breakout bets or otherwise undesired free agents for cheap and, provided they don’t work elsewhere in the lineup, find a place here.

Zach Aston-Reese, as bothered as I ultimately was by his play, earned a role as a primary penalty killer. Finding players who could replace and/or upgrade his, Kuraly’s or Danforth’s minutes might be another objective for these fourth line slots. Perhaps finding penalty killers among the youth, Marchenko, Johnson or Chinakhov, can help the team take risks here.

We should also acknowledge the possibility that Evason deploys a true top line with Kent Johnson - Sean Monahan - Kirill Marchenko and therefore some offseason additions to find Fantilli-aligned wings could pay dividends.

While I’ll be looking into specific role fits as listed, flexibility and adaptability are highly important.

Ultimately, there are too many directions to go and Waddell will need to be aggressive and creative to build on the momentum of this past season without damaging the longer term outlook.

The Defense

Largely, the defense needs to improve at two of the most important things in hockey: preventing entries and exiting with possession. I don’t want to get too far into it but these are related and it’s not just the defense that needs to improve in order to get there.

Because of the subpar performances from Provorov and Severson, the Blue Jackets find themselves in the unenviable position of needing both play killing and puck moving. It’s a tough position for Waddell to be in but one that’s critical for growth in 2025-26.

Werenski - XXX

Zach Werenski is a True #1. Whoever complements him should play next to him. Ideally, that’s a player who can kills plays 1 on 1 in the neutral zone or defends well enough to stall for him to track back, but also someone who can move the puck and let him skate up-ice. Puck retrievals, freeing up Werenski to take fewer hits and jump up-ice, are probably the most important consideration. Net-front defense would be as well.

In separate moments, that’s been both Fabbro and Severson.

Severson isn’t reliable, though was great next to Werenski in matchup situations late in 2023-24, but he’s signed. I can’t really see Evason gleefully slotting him into this role, and I think Waddell has shown a strong desire to move out pieces quickly that he doesn’t see a fit for (Laine, Jiricek), but it might just work for the Blue Jackets.

Fabbro has some skating weaknesses and got into penalty troubles, I wonder if he was impacted by the knee injury, but has all of the other secondary skillsets you’d like. He can make the emergency stops and can move the puck well enough to unlock Werenski as a threat.

Frankly, there aren’t that many right handed defensemen capable of filling this role. We’d be, ideally, looking for a Devon Toews or Matthias Ekholm equivalent but those are both left-handed players.

If we cast Werenski as the Pietrangelo or Forsling, Fabbro fits. The matter, then, is cost. Fabbro is indeed a UFA, and the cap is exploding (and Chychrun’s deal might make the numbers look a little funny), but I think Waddell would be wise to find a short-term, potentially higher dollar contract for Fabbro. Worst case scenario is he slides down the depth chart and perhaps serves his role next to a new left handed defenseman.

An interesting observation from Waddell’s time in Carolina is his filling of the position next to Jaccob Slavin. Waddell wielded his strengths to find low-cost partners that fit. Initially, perhaps before he had established himself as a true #1, it was Hamilton and at times Pesce. Then Bear and DeAngelo were low-cost value bids. Now, it is and has been Brent Burns stolen for cheap from San Jose to exploit their cap situation.

Will Waddell keep a similar approach with Zach Werenski and bet on his ability to find complementary partners for low-cost?

XXX - XXX

The Blue Jackets do not have a true second pairing. They played Provorov and Mateychuk there through the balance of the end of the season but it wasn’t particularly good. Perhaps that goes hand-in-hand with some of the middle six defensive struggles but the easiest way to improve the third pair is to fill out positions above it and push better defensemen down into it.

Do I believe Mateychuk will quickly improve and grow into a better role? Yes. Do I believe the Blue Jackets, who I presume have playoff aspirations, should enter this season with him as the anchor for their second pair? No.

The most recent Stanley Cup Winners (Vegas and Florida) filled out this pair with a great defensive defenseman in different flavors (McNabb vs Mikkola) and a stellar offensive defenseman (Theodore vs Montour). Previously, as in Tampa, this was a true shutdown pair (McDonagh-Cernak) and the offensive defenseman was on the third pair (Sergachev).

The Blue Jackets should find a way to improve their neutral zone play-killing and, perhaps importantly find a way to ease the total burden on Zach Werenski. Unfortunately, these players aren’t easy to find and might not be easy to find in a way that guarantees they’ll continue to be that way through Fantilli’s prime. Not to say it wouldn’t still be “worth it” but it affects the acquisition cost calculation.

The other, “offensively inclined” defensemen might just be Denton Mateychuk. He was a force in junior and looks like he could very much learn from and follow in Zach Werenski’s footsteps. His offensive numbers were ultimately poor but the data from the tracking project suggests room for growth.

A key part in the contracts of Theodore and Montour were that they were high value performances on cheap contracts. If the Blue Jackets want to add some offense, and aren’t putting Mateychuk in that role, it might need to be cost effective to fit.

Once again, Damon Severson theoretically fits in this role. He did bring a ton of offense this season, and his deal might be cost effective eventually, but usually offensive assignments lead to a lack of focus for Severson (somewhat reminiscent of Jack Roslovic in that regard).

Mateychuk - Gudbranson

I think, ideally, this pair is Mateychuk-Severson and they are put in offensive situations with the middle-six forwards or with the Fantilli-Johnson pairing. Both players showed chemistry with those two forwards and so it just might make sense. I’d really like to see Mateychuk put in more offensive situations and have his junior puck touch dominance coaxed out of him at the NHL level.

In reality, I find it hard to see Waddell move on from Erik Gudbranson which implies him in a shutdown pair. We haven’t seen him do well in that situation but we haven’t seen him all that much under Evason either. His performance history suggests this would be a risk but maybe he could lose tough minutes in a way that frees up more offense elsewhere. At the very least, we can hope that he makes up for 5v5 struggles with good penalty killing.

Ultimately, I have positioned Gudbranson as the “dirty-work” type of guy that lets Mateychuk dominate the puck touches (a la Ryan Suter with Thomas Harley). It didn’t work with Jake Bean, Gudbranson killing far too much of the offense with point shots but there are plenty of options to be worked out.

Special Teams

Most of my work so far has to do with play at 5v5. Largely, the skills on display at 5v5 also translate to special teams. Without considering those special teams specifically, however, we might be tricked into thinking certain players are better solutions than they would be in reality.

Dean Evason called out both special teams units in his end of season press conference. It is, therefore, critical that we take into account special teams for the total evaluation of potential acquisitions or in potential departures. Erik Gudbranson, down the stretch, was a good penalty killer. Ivan Provorov got the most minutes there, moving on from him without a plan likely only serves to burden Werenski more though it must be said that a subpar unit should be addressed first with the players who were most responsible.

If any truly good 5v5 defensive defensemen, or matchup forwards, are added to the roster, I have little doubt they will be able to contribute positively on the penalty kill. Special teams impacts can usually be predicted from 5v5 contributions or at the very least the same skills that lead to 5v5 impacts.

The Blue Jackets built the foundations of a potentially very good powerplay but one that needs a little tweaking to take the next step toward a true game-winning unit. I detailed plenty of my thoughts recently, I think the Blue Jackets could learn a lot from Vegas, Montreal and New Jersey’s approach, and mostly look to move Marchenko and Kent Johnson closer to the net.

Still, there are a couple of considerations. Based on the 5v5 lines and holes, considering James van Riemsdyk’s late season role, it looks like the Blue Jackets could look to upgrade a single spot in the top six. It would be wise, then, to consider a player who could also bring some PP impact.

That player, ideally, moves Marchenko off the half-wall and into an internal bumper/netfront role, or can play an internal net-front/bumper role. We’ll take that into consideration as I think it makes certain players extremely high value targets.

What must be considered above all-else, ultimately, is Adam Fantilli. His inclusion on the top unit, though perhaps not in Monahan’s role, has the potential to settle the Blue Jackets into a long-term unit and achieve the objectives. The struggle in his inclusion is the position. Kent Johnson has been occupying the left half-wall which is where Fantilli found success in college. Kent Johnson, theoretically, should fit as a downhill primary playmaker on the left-side of the wall, a position he looked good in on rotations and even one that he could move to at 5v5 if he’s paired with Fantilli, but he’s looked really good where he is too.

Any adjustments must contend with Marchenko, Johnson and Werenski being excellent drivers of the entry unit. If any are moved out of position or off the top powerplay, they must be adding someone who can be expected to pick up those duties.

Stylistic Concerns

The Blue Jackets have plenty of areas to improve but we can use AllThreeZones to find some areas of specific performance. Part of the issue with this data is that it’s a mixed bag with a small sample size and part is that the Blue Jackets were heavily injured at separate parts of the season.

At the beginning of the season, the objectives were clear: Create Offense via Passing More, Generate More Rush Offense, Reduce Failed Exit and Botched Retrievals, Defend the Blue Line More Aggressively.

This season, the Blue Jackets only really improved at Reducing Botched Retrievals. They still ranked among the worst in all of the other metrics. Obviously, they were still good defensively and Sznajder’s tracking placed them at the bottom of the league in 5v5 shots (we know they were top 10 in raw 5v5 shot data) so there’s probably some poor sample games.

Monahan, Johnson and Marchenko were the only above average passers. The bottom of the roster is really quite poor for the Blue Jackets. In order to improve, they’ll need to find some forwards who can bring some exceptional dual-threat.

The best stylistic improvement for the Blue Jackets’ forwards would be better performance off the rush. Kent Johnson created the most entries, with Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli both just behind, but none converted those entries into chances at a great rate. If the Blue Jackets want a diverse attack, or perhaps if they want Johnson and Fantilli to become the franchise players the Blue Jackets might need them to be, they’ll have to upgrade their rush play.

The defense needs some dramatic improvements across the board. Provorov and Severson are too inefficient, and always have been, for their positive outcomes to outweight the turnovers. Werenski and Mateychuk look like the most efficient players. Once Mateychuk grows as an anchor, the Blue Jackets might be in a good spot.

They did become more aggressive at entry defending but their most voluminous entry defenders were all ultimately poor.

As I go through offseason targets, we’ll look into some of these metrics specifically so that we can compare potential targets to specific critical areas of improvement.

From my point of view, improved puck-moving is perhaps the first domino I’d target and hope that better touches into the neutral zone start a positive feedback loop for the offensive potential.

Defense Impact Theory

Largely, I think the Blue Jackets must improve as a neutral zone defending defensive group. While it’s clear that Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro struggled in this regard, it’s also possible that improvement among the forwards make it easier for them at the same time.

That said, I’d like to add a little more juice to the evaluation. Late season analysis revealed some insight into the Blue Jackets defense construction vs the New Jersey Devils. That team featured plenty of neutral zone killing defensemen but also had a breakout where they asked forwards to come very low in the zone and build from the back in possession. Columbus, on the other hand, pushes their forwards up-ice quickly.

That might mean that prioritizing puck moving, and passing through the neutral zone, is a good way to increase the success of the total on-ice unit. The Blue Jackets might get more value out of “build-up” or in transition passing skill from their defensemen whereas the Devils defensemen are constructed around stopping and have their forwards more responsible for “build-up.”

Highly talented players of either variety will find a use in either system but it’s worth thinking about the defense skills as they relate to the system.

In combing through public data and in reading some old analytics work, I generally stumbled across a trend in on-ice impacts of defensemen and I think it was the operating theory under Jarmo Kekelainen as well (though his execution left plenty ot be desired). There are some defensive defensemen who suppress danger against and there are some puck movers who lack in-zone coverage skills but make up for it by transportation and territorial dominance. These both have “defensive” impacts but come by their impact in different ways. These will be referred to as Killers and Movers. Few players are unilaterally one or the other, and these aren’t all encompassing terms, but I think they generally follow and offer a jumping off point for further evaluation of a player.

I’ll have specific metrics created to evaluate the available defense market relative to whether a player is a mover or a killer. Ideally, the Blue Jackets upgrade a mix of both.

Trade Chip Potential

Looking into the roster as constructed, and naming certain players as “core” leaves us with a group of players who may or may not be considered trade chips (or at the very least are opportunities for upgrades): Dmitri Voronkov, Yegor Chinakhov, Cole Sillinger as well as prospects like Luca Del Bel Belluz, Stanislav Svozil, Jordan Dumais, Gavin Brindley, Charlie Elick and Luca Marrelli. The two first round picks almost go without saying as perhaps the most valuable pieces.

Dmitri Voronkov is only on that list because of his current RFA status. He’s a well-liked player, he’s identity aligned and a rare talent. Why would the Blue Jackets move him? His tendency to be late to wall-battles in the defensive zone and tendency to give up the slot in coverage represent system weaknesses. Similarly, his high level one touch playmaking flashes appeared less and less as his puck playing decisions lost some of their early sparkle.

Those weaknesses are mitigatable, especially if Voronkov has a great offseason fitness wise, and would but they might give pause to a GM who would prefer to sign him to a short term contract but has already given short-term contracts to breakout stars.

Voronkov is a uniquely good player who should not be seen for only his weaknesses, and I don’t think he should be traded, but sometimes you have to give up something good to get something good and the risk factors, mostly contractually, mean he might be the most eligible and valuable something.

Cole Sillinger looks like a front office favorite and is one of the youngest forwards on the roster. If you’re building for the long term, moving on from a player with some of the longest runway (though he has played plenty of NHL games) who is reportedly excellent in the room and off-ice is a hard sell. Still, the Blue Jackets haven’t seen much NHL quality from Sillinger outside of rare, though tantalizing, flashes.

If the Blue Jackets want to be more competitive this season, pushing him out of the 3C role is one of the easiest ways to do it.

Chinakhov is a personal favorite of mine for his ice coverage, though I don’t like how he plays offense. Reading between the lines, a ton of immediately pre-TDL media snippets of his injury being “nothing structural” is suspicious timing and behavior from an FO that really likes a player, suggests he might be on the move which is a shame. His skillset and fit, speed and strength especially in pressuring and forechecking defensemen, are something that should not be taken for granted especially for a team that likes pace and needs defensive impact from forwards.

The prospects close(r) to the NHL might be most eligible for trade. To me, that includes Luca Del Bel Belluz but also certainly Stanislav Svozil.

LDBB flashed some cool puck skill, good enough hockey sense and good play connecting in critical areas but I struggle to see a true role for him at the NHL level. He very much seems like a “I’ll believe it when I see it” type player which could mean he has little value elsewhere. Waddell, or Rod Brind’Amour, had no problem playing Jack Drury and Jesperi Kotkaniemi on the fourth line so perhaps that’s his angle to upgrade his potential. If Sillinger is moved, LDBB could work in the same end-of-season sheltered forechecking role.

Stanislav Svozil was a very interesting defensemen who looked poised to join the Blue Jackets sooner rather than later. He’s not a Waddell draft pick, was cut early from training camp and CBJ have added Jordan Harris and Daemon Hunt to the organization. What value does he have? I wouldn’t imagine it’s too much.

Acquisition Objectives

1. Get Better Players

2. Mine Future Stars

Simple as that, the Blue Jackets have a ton of directions to improve.

1. Second Pairing Defense Support (Either Offense or Defense)

   1. Matchup Defense

   2. Offensive/Puck Moving Impact to help Middle-Six Forward Lines

2. Upgrade the Skating of the Defense, Especially Neutral Zone Defending

3. Werenski Partner if Fabbro Isn’t Signed

4. Improve Defensive Ability of Forwards

   1. Push Jenner to Third Pair

   2. Push Sillinger for Fourth Line or Wing

   3. Find Matchup Line Anchor

5. Find a Top Six Forward who;

   1. Can Connect Passes and Enhance the in-possession play of Fantilli and KJ

   2. Can Create Net-Front Playmaking on the PP (ideally Right Shot)

6. Remain Open to a Player who Could Thrive Alongside Monahan-Marchenko

7. Goaltending?

   1. Jet Greaves is Tandem Caliber At Least

   2. Veterans? Bona-Fide Starter? Keep Merzlikins?