NHL Trade Buzz: Blue Jackets could be sellers after recent struggles

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are seven days remaining until the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET; April 12). Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:

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Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets appear destined to become sellers ahead of the deadline after going 1-5-0 during a six-game road trip that concluded with a 3-0 loss at the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Five points behind the Nashville Predators for the fourth and final Stanley Cup Playoff spot in the eight-team Discover Central Division with 16 games remaining, Columbus' streak of qualifying for the postseason in four straight seasons is in jeopardy. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen and the front office will have to make some difficult decisions about whether to trade some of the Blue Jackets' potential unrestricted free agents, including forward Nick Foligno and defenseman David Savard, for pieces for the future.
Trading Foligno, the Blue Jackets captain, would be a significant and difficult step because of his importance in the locker room and the Columbus community. The Athletic reported that if the Blue Jackets decide to be sellers, Kekalainen likely will sit with Foligno to go through the options with him, including if he wants to be traded and what teams might interest him. There likely would be a long list of those looking for his grit and leadership, including the New York Islanders, who lost captain Anders Lee to a season-ending knee injury, the Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Savard likely would be coveted by teams seeking a top-four defenseman such as the Bruins, Panthers and Winnipeg Jets. Forwards Riley Nash and
Mikhail Grigorenko
and defenseman Michael Del Zotto also could draw interest as potential rentals for contenders because they can be unrestricted free agents at the end of this season.

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Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins already were looking to add a center or a power forward, according to recent interviews with president of hockey operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall, before coach Mike Sullivan said Monday that forward Brandon Tanev will be out week to week with an upper-body injury.
Tanev, who was injured during a 7-5 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, has scored 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 32 games this season and provides valuable tenacity for Pittsburgh. He also missed six games with an unspecified injury before returning April 1.
"When you don't have him, you realize how important he is to our group," Sullivan said last week. "He's a tough kid. For a guy that plays the game the way he does, he's a durable player. … He plays the game hard. He brings a physical presence to our team game. He plays the game with so much energy. I think his energy is contagious for the rest of our group."
Replacing that energy and physical presence will be difficult for Pittsburgh, which already is without center Evgeni Malkin and forward Kasperi Kapanen. Each is week to week with a lower-body injury.
Burke told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday that the Penguins were "looking around" for a center and Hextall told the Penguins Radio Network the same day that they hoped to add a big, physical forward.
If the Columbus Blue Jackets decide to trade forwards Nick Foligno or Riley Nash, each of whom can be an unrestricted free agent after this season, either could fit with Pittsburgh.

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Washington Capitals

The Capitals' decision on whether to acquire a veteran goalie for the Stanley Cup Playoffs became a bit cloudier last week when Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov had some rough patches. Each rebounded well, with Vanecek making 22 saves in a 2-1 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils on Friday and Samsonov making 35 saves, including several highlight-worthy stops, in a 5-4 victory against the Devils on Sunday.
But even with those performances, Vanecek had an .879 save percentage and a 3.01 goals-against average in three games last week and Samsonov had an .831 save percentage and a 5.14 GAA in three games. For the season, Vanecek leads NHL rookies in wins (15-6-3) and has a .907 save percentage and a 2.71 GAA. In his second NHL season, Samsonov is 9-2-1 with an .896 save percentage and a 2.87 GAA.
The Capitals also have veteran Craig Anderson, who played in two NHL games this season, on their taxi squad. But barring injury, the 39-year-old does not appear to be a consideration for starting in the playoffs. So it likely will be either Vanecek, Samsonov or a goalie to be acquired in the coming week.
General manager Brian MacLellan said in March his thinking would be influenced by how Samsonov played after the 24-year-old missed most of the first two months of the season after spending time in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
"We'll monitor the goaltending situation here as we get closer to the trade deadline to see how they're doing," MacLellan said. "They're both on track to play pretty well. I think it's more playing it out here, and as we get closer to the deadline we'll figure it out."