The Blue Jackets got Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, and, for all intents and purposes, picked up Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, too, because there was sound reason to believe they would be traded. And that’s not all. Future considerations acquired by Columbus include a pair of swords for Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson to do the, uh, honorable thing if the Jackets don’t advance a couple of playoff rounds.

They can’t just settle for the franchise’s first series win in its 18-year existence. Even if there will be a parade for it undoubtedly. With four–count ’em four–key unrestricted free agents on July 1, Columbus had better eat drink and be merry well into May before the Grim Reaper arrives at the door with the bill.

Has anyone ever gone for it to this degree? Since the town’s namesake gambled the world was round, we mean. The Jackets are taking on a daredevil act of such proportion that they may need a stuntman to take the fall. Presumably Scott Howson is again available.

Bless them, this Jacket brass has more balls than even Ottawa will have in the draft lottery for the next 10 years. Everything everybody else around the league did on Monday-or the days leading up to Monday, paled in comparison. In fact, even the pale faces of Jacket fans should Bob happen to bobble a few over the line in Game Seven, will pale in comparison. In Columbus, they have redefined the must win.

But if all four guys leave on July 1, at least one bet is hedged. Jarmo will have cap room. Money, too, as the Blue Jackets have no reason to go to the draft this year or maybe not next year and can save some bucks that way. One scout will be plenty to handle fourth and seventh round picks, the only ones the Jackets have retained this June We hear it’s going to be a good fourth round this year.

Actually, we didn’t really hear that, just want to calm the nerves of all you folks in Columbus, that’s all. But Riverboat Davidson and Fats Kekalainen don’t need reassurance apparently. Tampa Bay may be icing the most formidable team of the Cap era, but Columbus is undeterred. These Jackets are not yellow, for sure.

Good thing, too, for the excitement level, because the deadline otherwise passed with almost everybody but Columbus passing on taking any big chances. When Kekalainen said the offers for Bobrovsky and Panarin were such that they were better off holding on to them, indeed the deals made around the league pretty much reflected a conservationist mood.

Don Sweeney shook off his powder burns from last year’s Rick Nash fiasco and got some needed scoring depth in Marcus Johanssen and Charlie Coyle for nothing the Bruins are likely to miss.

For the second straight year, Winnipeg’s Kevin Cheveldayoff got the best rental center–Kevin Hayes–to follow Paul Stastny. But with so many core Jets having to be signed, it’s unlikely Hayes will be a keeper any more than was Stastny.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, as will Mark Stone for nine years or until his hands turn to stone, whatever happens first. Holy Rick DiPietro! Nine years is a long time, but such a commitment is the real cost of business to acquire anything at this time of year of much lasting value. It’s rare that any picks surrendered by a contender are high first-round choices. So there is little history of any big eventual payoff to rebuilding teams in these deadline-acquired picks.

We had been hearing that the Flyers were disappointed in the offers they were getting for Wayne Simmonds. Understandable. He hasn’t had much of a year. So with the team 13-3-1 in the last 17 and clearly not giving up, new GM Chuck Fletcher had a heart and dealt Simmons, the upcoming UFA for somebody who can help keep the playoff dream alive for however long. Ryan Hartman is a useful third line guy with some scoring upside and a signable RFA who is six years younger than Simmonds.

We don’t think Simmonds, 30, is done. But as he is coming off a surgery that it took Claude Giroux a full season to put behind him, we would have had more interest in Simmonds as a three-year signee this summer than as a five-week rental. Still, for Nashville, it was a pretty low risk deal, like most of them.

The Rangers, almost as close to eighth place as Buffalo and Philadelphia, were realistic about their chances in moving both Hayes and Mats Zuccarello. Minnesota, hanging on for a playoff spot, not looking too much like a contender anytime soon, got back young, comparable, players for Coyle and Mikael Granlund. Not sure it’s going to help. Probably can’t hurt.

In honor of Derick Brassard, we propose the shift of the trading deadline to Groundhog Day. His life is one continuous loop. Carl Hagelin, off to Washington in the principal move by the defending champs, will always have a job as long as he remains fast, both down the ice and to the airport.

Jimmy Rutherford is down three defensemen, compelling him to take nothing-to-lose shots at Chris Wideman and Erik Gubrandson. The stats show Gubrandson, once a third-overall choice, to be one of the league’s greatest underachievers. Perhaps he will find himself with a better team, if indeed the Penguins still are a better team.

Carolina and the Islanders can get into playoffs without a boost so they both passed. But when Lou Lamoriello vouched for the guys he had, his disinterest in gambling assets for a larger payoff also said he didn’t love his team so much that another big piece could help them into June.

Anaheim and Edmonton gave up for this year, as they should have. The Leafs previously made their move for Jake Muzzin, solid enough, one supposes, and in keeping with a day when the assets of the buyers were hoarded more than spent on rentals. All the bells (tolling) and whistles were coming from Columbus, risking its soul for one good spring at last.

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