So the trade deadline has come and gone. We’ve got three-ish familiar faces out the door, with four fresh faces headed to CBJ-land. In all, I think the Jackets fared well. While I may not have gone in any of these directions, I understand each deal and think each one represents good value.
The day started off with a bang. Well maybe not a bang, but the Jackets first deal of the day is by far the most significant. Marian Gaborik is now a member of the Los Angeles Kings, while Matt Frattin (plus a 2nd and a conditional 3rd) is now a Jacket. I disagree with this deal the most. I would have held onto Gaborik, thought of him as something of a trade deadline acquisition, and tried to keep him for cheap on a one year deal in the offseason. But once the decision is made to not re-sign him, I can understand the logic in moving him. He has never really fit on this incarnation of the Blue Jackets, and his biggest value was laid out in the latest post-game reaction on tUB: “…Anisimov doesn’t get the time and space he’s getting right now if there isn’t an elite athlete out on the ice at the same timethat the opposing defense must consider. That’s one of the reasons why players like Nathan Horton and Gaborik matter – you have to respect talent. And that benefits everyone…”
So yeah, he was injured a lot, didn’t produce as expected while healthy, and was paid a metric crapton of money. Disappointing is putting it lightly, but he did have value. But again, he never really fit, and as the team continues to get healthy at forward, there were just too many bodies and not enough spots. Matt Frattin is nothing special, but he joins Matt Calvert, Blake Comeau, Mark Letestu, Derek MacKenzie, and others as depth guys with ability above their roster spot (and Frattin makes nothing, as Toronto is paying half his salary). Furthermore, the picks are pretty fantastic. Yes, it looks pitiful when compared to what was given to acquire him. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works, or my car I paid $30,000 for in 2001 would be worth that much today instead of a measly $2000. No one gives a crap what was once given up for a player, only what the current market is. Look around the league today. The Oilers got MUCH less for Ales Hemsky. The Islanders got less for Thomas Vanek. Buffalo got about the same for Matt Moulson. The Flames are stuck with Mike Cammalleri. There was NO market whatsoever for high priced rentals. I would say of any rental, the Blue Jackets got the most bang for their buck. So while I might not have dealt him, and the return looks crappy when thinking about trading Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore for Matt Frattin, a 2nd and a 3rd; the deal itself was as good as it was going to get.
Jarmo followed up that whopper with… a 5th round pick to Edmonton for Nick Schultz. Schultz is a stay at home defenseman on an expiring deal. He’s a rental, brought to fill in while Tyutin and Murray are out, and push Savard and Prout for the final spot in the top six. And that’s all that he should be expected to be. Schultz is a fine defenseman if that is all you are relying on him for. He’s never been much of an offensive threat (145 points in 871 NHL games), he’s not particularly big (6’1, 200lbs), or physical. But he’s a young-ish vet (only 31 years old) who’s been around, knows his role, and can be a dependable fill-in. I’m pretty happy with that for a 5th rounder. I was advocating giving up a little more for Tom Gilbert, but this is probably better value, if he’s not quite the player Gilbert is.
And finally… two minor leaguers for two more minor leaguers. Heading to Tampa are Dalton Smith and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, with Dana Tyrell and Matt Taormina coming to Columbus. Taormina is a pending unrestricted free agent, while Tyrell is a pending RFA. Both Smith and JAM have a year left on their deals. I’m not entirely sure of the motivation here, but this is my first thoughts: the Jackets know what they had in JAM and Smith and neither were ever going to be NHLers. Tyrell and Taormina may be nothing to write home about, but they are usable in the NHL the way JAM was not. Tyrell and Taormina are guys who have played actual NHL games (132 for Tyrell and 57 for Taormina) and can be fits as depth players. JAM may have more talent, but he’s not good enough to be a top six forward in the NHL and his game is not complete enough to play in the bottom six. Tyrell isn’t a big guy, but he’s solid defensively and a capable penalty killer. In fact, he may just end up being the Derek MacKenzie replacement I had talked about. Or I am completely wrong, and this was just a contract dump. Yes, they were AHLers so salary wasn’t the concern, but if Jarmo saw no future for them in the orgnization already, it’s best to dump them now and free up spots under the 50 man limit.
So there it is. A TRADE, a Trade, and a trade. I would describe my feelings about today as ambivalent. I kind of like each deal in a way, although the most impactful deal is also the one I like the least. And again, it’s not that I don’t like the deal, it’s that I just wouldn’t have even tried to trade Gaborik. So there it is. I wouldn’t expect to see too much change heading forward, as Frattin may not even get into the lineup, Tyrell and Taormina won’t be seen unless more injuries hit, and only Schultz will definitely be jumping in right away. In the long run, I don’t think this is a trade deadline we’ll be looking back on with any affection or animosity.
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