Columbus Blue Jackets

Caps, Jackets Play Lets Make a Deal

The Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets officially make a deal in which Columbus sends solid left wing Jason Chimera in exchange for depth defenseman Milan Jurcina and surprisingly team captain Chris Clark

The Capitals receive probably the best player of the bunch in Chimera, who last year would have posted career highs had he stayed healthy.  The 30-year-old veteran carries a reasonable 1.875 cap hit, a fair price for a grinding wing who shows the ability to put up points.

Clark, now the former captain of the Caps, admits to being shocked he was traded.  This trade may mark the first time a first-place team traded away their captain, however it was the smart move.  The 33-year-old sported a hefty 2.633 million cap hit this year and next, something a contending team simply should not pay for considering he posted two less points than Chimera.

In Jurcina the Jackets get a warm body on the blue line, something they needed since Rostislav Klesla went down at the beginning of the month.  More importantly the Blue Jackets shake the team up, as they promised they would do.  Used mainly as a depth defenseman, Jurcina posted four helpers in 27 games while carrying a 1.375 cap hit.

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Columbus Finally Making a Move?

Tom Reed of The Columbus Dispatch recently reported that Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson will shake things up soon in an attempt to send a message to his team.  Considered a strong team with room for improvement following their first playoff berth, the young team struggled and currently sit in 14th in the Western Conference, just one point above cellar dweller the Edmonton Oilers.

The difference between the Oilers and Blue Jackets however are injuries.  The Oilers lost their number one goalie and arguably their number one scorer, if not for the breakout year of Dustin Penner and admirable job by Jeff Deslauriers thinks could be even worse in the province of Alberta.

The Blue Jackets’ problems prove not as simple.  A sophomore slump from Derick Brassard and Steve Mason severely hurt their chances, as well as the deportation of Nikita Filatov.  Couple those problems with the injury to top defenseman Rostislav Klesla and the Jackets lost key components to last year’s playoff team.

Nevertheless, Howson stayed the course admitting he would not make any panic moves.  At this point a move seems too late.  Recent rumblings around Twitter point to Karl Alzner moving to Columbus.

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Waivers, Waivers and Re-Entry Waivers

Two players were placed on waivers today, Aaron Ward and PA Parenteau.  Yesterday, goaltender Michael Leighton was placed on re-entry waivers.  Lets take a further look at these players and the value they may have around the league.

Ward according to most Hurricanes fans has been terrible.  That, however, means little when you play on one of the worst teams in the league.  His contract expires at the end of the season and he carries a hefty 2.5 million cap hit.  Teams like the New York Islanders or Columbus Blue Jackets have a strong need for another defender, but they just recently passed on Lukas Krajicek at almost half his cap hit.

As TSN’s Bob MacKenzie speculates, there may be more interest if he goes through re-entry waivers.Ward is a multiple Stanley Cup winner and should add a welcome addition to either team’s blueline.

Leighton sees re-entry waivers as he now is the third man out.  Not starting a game until the end of October, the 28-year-old struggled to find his game winning only one game in seven appearances.

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Waivers, Minor Signing & A Trade Rumor

To be honest, I thought today would be a lot busier.  Yesterday we saw a few goalies make their way onto the trade market and a few vets put through waivers.  Today, we have a minor signing, those players clearing waivers and a most likely bunk rumor.  Lets go over the action for today:

• Derek MacKenzie and Lukas Krajicek both cleared waivers today.  MacKenzie goes to the Jackets AHL affiliate the Syracuse Crunch, link here.  Krajicek will not go down to the AHL says Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes.
• Sam Carchidi with Broad Street Bull reports a failed trade proposal between the Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The supposed deal would send Mike Smith to Philly in exchange for talented youngsters Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk.  I could barely keep a straight face reading a proposal that involves two of the better young players in the game for essentially a good backup.  Carchidi suggests a relatively equal trade as a rebuttal, Bobby Ryan + for Jeff Carter.

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Krajicek, MacKenzie Placed on Waivers

According to Lightning Strikes with Damian Cristodero defenseman Lukas Krajicek was placed on waivers.  Coming over in a trade for Shane O’Brien, the 26-year-old registered two goals and 18 assists in games over 92 games and two seasons.  Originally drafted by the Florida Panthers  in the first round, 24th overall the native of Prostejov, Czechoslovakia carries a lofty 1.4 million cap hit and will most likely not be claimed with the cap crunch most teams are in.

As a history buff, it is also notable he was part of the illustrious deal that sent star goaltender Roberto Luongo to Vancouver.

In other news Aaron Portline of The Columbus Dispatch writes the Blue Jackets placed Derek MacKenzie on waivers. A favorite of coach Ken Hitchcock, the 28-year-old produced six points over three seasons and 34 games with the team.  MacKenzie gets sent down in hopes he goes unclaimed, as he is a casualty of the numbers crunch.  The team needs to make a move in order to activate left wing Fredrik Modin.

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