The trade deadline often separates the men from the boys. We have all heard guys like Brian Burke say that GMs lose their minds each year at the deadline...and sure..every trade deadline someone out there makes a bad move with the best of intentions...As Brian Burke said so well this year, "Last I checked they only give out one Stanley Cup." True indeed, but what that strongly implies is caution...playing "NOT to lose."
My favorite days of the NHL traded deadline were pre-salary cap. I remember when Ray Bourque was moved to Colorado. That deadline was awesome. The Flyers were thought to have made the deal, and the Blues, Red Wings, Stars and more were lining up.
In the end, Bourque, a rental, was traded along with Dave Andreychuk for Brian Rolston, defenseman Martin Grenier, center Sami Pahlsson and Boston's choice of a first-round pick in either 2000 or 2001. They chose 2000 and picked Martin Samuelsson with the 27th overall selection. It was a bold move by Boston, and guess what? They didn't win the Stanley Cup the year they made the trade... They did however win over Ray Bourque, who signed an extension and would lift the Cup a year later...
Colorado went for it in a similar way to Columbus this year, and yet there was no twitter, so I don't remember people killing Colorado about it. Back then you made trades to win a Cup. If you needed a backup goalie, you got a backup. Contending teams would NEVER flinch at giving up a solid draft pick to insure against the starter getting hurt. GMs saw their job descriptions as "WIN NOW."
Enter Columbus 2018-19.
The Blue Jackets had a rough year by all standards driven largely by the looming presence of Panarin and Bob both making it clear that they wouldn't re-sign in Columbus. Would they be moved at the deadline or not? That unknown had to matter.
It may feel unreal now, but as the deadline approached at the end of February, the playoffs were not even a certainty for the team that just eliminated one of the best teams in NHL history in 4 games...
So how did this happen?
The Jackets management team is very much a team. There is a three-headed monster-of-the-sport behind the Ohio Cannon.
* JD, John Davidson, brings his years of experience and ability to draw talent.
* GM Jarmo Kekalainen is a details-driven incredible judge of talent. Steady and sure in every move Jarmo is great at evaluating risk vs. reward and his well-reasoned approach is best seen by his trades and acquisitions.
*Associate GM (not Assistant GM, but the only Associate GM in the NHL) Bill Zito is combining astute hockey sense with what's one NHL source referred to as "crazy creative intelligence." In NHL circles it is completely accepted that Zito will be running his own team sooner than later.
These three hockey minds took on the challenges of this past trade deadline head-on.
Go for it or play it safe?
The factors to consider:
*No one is offering anything real for Panarin.
*Bobrovsky is leaving, probably with Panarin to Florida.
*The fans in Columbus are dying for a playoff win.
*and by the way...Torts is starting to get very pissed off about it.
There were two paths they could have taken...
#1. Play it safe.
This is the Path probably 90% of all other teams would have taken.
*Trade Panarin and get anything. At the least they could have landed a #1 pick, and yet the pick would be end of the first round, so not really helpful for 3 more years...hopefully a third line player.
*Trade Bobrovsky. However, he's never won in the playoffs so his value is exceedingly low and teams like Toronto weren't willing to give a second round pick despite the fact they are one injury away from blowing a chance at a Stanley Cup...that never stops baffling me.
*See what happens in the off-season. Try to convince a frustrated fanbase that this is great hockey market..a market Artemi and Bob just bailed on. But the picks may mean in 4 years we might be better...
#2. Go for it.
* Keep Panarin and Bob. They will be playing at the top of their game if for no other reason than they want to get big offers in July.
* Trade to bolster for your chances and realize you may never have a better spectrum of talent from a salary cap perspective. You have Bob and Panarin. You have Werenski and Anderson still on entry level contracts and you have now added Duchene and Dzingel.
* If you still miss the playoffs you can sell to the fans that you gave it your all. If you make the playoffs you can maybe catch Lightning in a bottle...And eliminate them in 4.
The first rounder you gave up for Duchene is now in the bottom 8 of the first round.
And remember Ray Bourque?
Even if you don't win a Cup here, you may win over Duchene. If Duchene wasn't playing for Columbus do you think they would have had ANY chance of signing Duchene on July 1?
Last night I was driving when the game ended and I was listening to the Jackets radio broadcast...You know what the announcer said? Get your Jackets season tickets for next year and be assured your seat in the next round....
That is the difference of "Going for it."
Hopefully more teams learn some lessons from this..
Meanwhile...My next blog will be on the Islanders sweep of the Penguins, which on ANY other night in the playoffs over the last decade would have been a MUCH bigger deal...As it should be.
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