Arace: John Davidson skated his lane and minded his gaps at NHL trade deadline
Full marks to Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson, the interim general manager. He did what he set out to do at the NHL trade deadline Friday. Namely, he cleared space on the roster and under the salary cap, and he set the table for the next GM. He skated his lane and minded his gaps.
“Businesswise,” Davidson said, “we did what we had to do.”
Yet ... it was almost exciting.
If you are a Jackets fan, you might’ve been dancing in your kitchen when you heard that defenseman Andrew Peeke was dealt to the Boston Bruins. You saw that the Jackets didn’t have to retain any of Peeke’s salary ($2.75 million per through 2025-26). And you said, “Win.”
If you are a Jackets fan, you might’ve had mixed feelings when you heard that forward Jack Roslovic was traded to the New York Rangers. On one hand, Roslovic is a local kid with undeniable talent, so it’s a bit of a letdown that the marriage didn’t work out in Columbus. On the other, Roslovic’s on-ice magic also included prolonged disappearing acts.
Is it me, or did he play his best hockey in March, with no pressure?
“We took care of business and did the best we could for us, and both of those players are going to have a great opportunity to enhance their careers and go forward,” Davidson said. “They were both absolutely tremendous Blue Jackets.”
With all due respect, it depends on how one defines, “absolutely tremendous Blue Jackets.”
Granted, it’s a low bar.
By all accounts, Peeke was/is a thorough professional and a great dude. He was also the seventh or eighth defenseman on one of the worst defensive teams in the league, with awful underlying numbers. Would his career arc have been different had the Jackets taken Alex DeBrincat or Jordan Kyrou with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 draft?
That’s unfair to Peeke, but that’s the way some fans look at it. Could’ve been DeBrincat.
Peeke goes to a Bruins team with well-established systems and a winning culture. Good for him. He will seize on the opportunity with his utmost effort. He is big, tough, durable, blocks shots and doesn’t take a ton of penalties. I will root for him.
Roslovic was an enigma. He has frustrated coaches who understand potential and shortfalls. In terms of his locker-room presence, he was never a threat to be an assistant captain. If he has learned something about humility at age 27, it will serve him well.
Roslovic goes to a Rangers team with one of the best records in the league, with designs on the Stanley Cup. He should thrive in New York, surrounded by talent and playing a middle-six role at either center or right wing. There is so much he can do on the ice. Artemi Panarin and Alex Wennberg will guide him.
The Rangers’ acquisition of Roslovic could turn out to be one of the sneaky-best deals of the deadline.
Recapping the Jackets’ moves:
Peeke was dealt to the Bruins for left-shot AHL defenseman Jakub Zboril, 27, a former first-round pick who has twice cleared waivers this season. Zboril, on an expiring contract, will report the Cleveland Monsters. Perhaps he will pair with Czech countryman, right-shot David Jiricek, 19, and mentor him. The Monsters are among the best teams in the AHL, with designs on a Calder Cup. Jiricek, picked sixth overall in 2022, is seen as a critical part of the Jackets’ future.
Roslovic was dealt to the Rangers for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2026. It will turn into a third-round pick if the Rangers make it to the Cup Final. In round numbers, the Jackets are retaining half of the pro-rated $854,157 remaining on his 2023-24 salary. That's essentially nothing, in the grand scheme. He will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, which is the primary reason he was moved.
Veteran goaltender Malcolm Subban, 30, was acquired from the St. Louis Blues for future considerations. Over 10 seasons, Subban has appeared in 86 NHL games and more than 200 AHL games. He supplies needed organizational depth at the position. Most importantly, he will help Cleveland.
“Cleveland has had a great year,” Davidson said. “We want to help them as much as we can, and there were thoughts ― not (etched) in stone ― about (Adam) Fantilli and Kent Johnson going there after the season. But that plan has been wrecked because of injuries. ... Hopefully they have a good playoff run. It’s important. It’s important to our players.”
Teams called about Boone Jenner, but then, teams always call about Boone Jenner.
“I really don’t want to get into which players other teams called about, but they called about quite a few – and that’s the straight goods,” Davidson said.
There was interest in defenseman Ivan Provorov, but there wasn’t an offer to compel the Jackets to trade him, not at this time. The asking price was probably higher than you might think. Provorov has a year-plus left on a contract that pays him $4.725 million per. He has had a spotty season marked by stretches of unreliability. He was/is never a threat to be an assistant captain. That said, he’s a durable, second-pair defenseman. Heading into the weekend, he had five goals and 27 points in 63 games.
While there is much to look forward to with Stanislav Svozil and Jiricek in AHL Cleveland — and especially with Denton Mateychuk in WHL Moose Jaw — there is an organizational philosophy about not rushing these guys. Fans can rightly carp about getting Jiricek NHL minutes, but those fans must keep in mind that Jiricek has the worst plus-minus (-11) in just 20 games on a first-place team. He’s a stud with work to do. That's how it usually goes with young defensemen.
Davidson talked about getting through the deadline and “leaving the workload” to the next general manager. Decisions on Provorov and the young defensemen in the pipeline will be part of that work.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NHL trade deadline sets table for for next Columbus Blue Jackets GM
