Five months ago, general manager Don Waddell realistically figured the Columbus Blue Jackets would be sellers by the time the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline rolled around on March 7.
Thanks to the surprising play of his team this deep into the season, he’s changed his mind.
As such, with the Blue Jackets in the midst of the hunt for a Stanley Cup Playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, defenseman Ivan Provorov, considered a leading candidate to be moved not so long ago because of his eligibility to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, might be staying put.
“There’s probably one guy that’s a UFA that’s going to command a big price, and that’s Provorov,” Waddell said Thursday. “But he’s also our best shutdown defenseman.”
One who stands to be a key cog in the postseason bid of the Blue Jackets (29-22-8), who are tied atop the wild card standings with the Detroit Red Wings (30-22-6) with 66 points each. They're four points ahead of the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.
Provorov is in the prime of his career at 28 years old and has had at least 26 points in each of his nine NHL seasons.
“Sometimes, as much as you like to get those assets, this is a different year as I’d probably look at it normally," Waddell said, "just because of what the guys have been through and how they continue to battle every day of the season and keep us in the position we’re in as of Feb. 27. And for me to trade players for mid-round picks, it doesn’t make sense.
“At the beginning of the season, I just hoped we’d have some kind of meaningful games in March. I didn’t realize we’d be in a playoff spot. And so now, the way I look at it, I don’t know if selling off is the right thing for this group. This group has done a great job of sticking together, and whether we can get there or not, I think I’ve got to give this group a chance.”
Waddell said he has been busy fielding calls and texts from fellow GMs since the conclusion of the 4 Nations Face-Off last Thursday. His message to them all: “Let’s get through this coming weekend and see where we are.”
According to Waddell, so far, so good.
Columbus has come off the 4 Nations break with three consecutive wins after defeating the Red Wings 5-2 on Thursday. They'll play Detroit again in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series in front of an estimated 90,000-plus fans at Ohio Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; Disney+, ESPN+, ESPN, TVAS-D, FX-CA). Completing the sweep would put the Blue Jackets in the East's top wild card position.
When all is said and done, Waddell said he’d like to be a buyer on the trade market, something he wouldn’t have believed back in training camp. If he does opt to add, he said the moves have to be prudent.
“The thing is, my job is to manage our assets, so I can’t make decisions that hurt us in the long term,” he said. “We have a couple of first-round picks this year, and I’m not using them for rental players. That makes no sense at all. If someone’s got term, well, that’s different.
“For rental players, yeah, I’d like to add. But it’s going to be a softer cost, either later picks or prospects. I feel we have a good nucleus of them. But I’m also concerned about what I’ve watched happen with other teams. You bring too many guys in, it could disrupt what our guys have right now.
“We just got our captain back in (forward) Boone Jenner (shoulder). He missed 56 games. We should get (center) Sean Monahan (wrist) back in the next few weeks. Those are like trade deadline adds to our lineup.”
In the meantime, Waddell understands the significance of what the upcoming outdoor game has to the community of Columbus.
It will be a chance to celebrate not only the sport but the memory of the late Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets forward who died along with his brother Matthew on Aug. 29 when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey. Waddell said the Columbus players and coaching staff have developed a tight-knit bond in overcoming the adversity of Gaudreau’s passing to put together the type of season some are describing as “overachieving.”
“Look, we’ve had seven or eight straight sellouts,” he said. “Our fans have come in droves, which has been great. On Saturday, they sang Happy Birthday to Johnny Jr., Johnny’s son who turned 1 and was there with his mother, Johnny’s wife Meredith. I can’t say enough about them and their support of us.
“But this outdoor game is more than that. We’re going to expose Blue Jackets hockey to 20,000 or 30,000 people who have never experienced it. People who are going to come from all over Ohio. People who have heard of the Blue Jackets but never had the chance to come to a game. This is our chance to grow our fan base. Look what an outdoor game did for Carolina, so there’s no reason why we can’t do the same thing here in Columbus.”
At the same time, he said, the main focus remains winning.
“Saturday, it’s all business,” he said. “It’s going to be a great event for family and friends but we’re going to prepare ourselves to get two points.
“It’s not an exhibition game. It’s not an all-star game. It’s a game we enter with the understanding that it could be the difference between making and not making the playoffs.”
And, in the process, being a buyer or not heading into the trade deadline.
