Hockey

Injuries Won't Force Waddell, Blue Jackets Into Trades

Published: Oct 22, 2024, 11:42 AM
4 min read
Updated: Jul 22, 2025, 6:59 AM
Fact checked by:
Sergey Demidov
The Blue Jackets face early adversity as GM Don Waddell remains patient, opting for development over quick moves on the NHL trade market.

The Blue Jackets face early adversity as GM Don Waddell remains patient, opting for development over quick moves on the NHL trade market (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

After dealing with the tragic loss of forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew just before training camp, the Columbus Blue Jackets have continued to face adversity on the ice as the 2024-25 regular season kicks into high gear.

A rash of injuries has new head coach Dean Evason and new general manager Don Waddell already working feverishly to ice a healthy and competitive lineup. However, don’t expect Waddell to make knee-jerk reactions on the NHL trade market. Despite having the most salary cap space ($20.3 million) in the NHL, Waddell isn’t in a rush to boost the roster via the external route.

“Look, I talk to every team, and every day, I’m picking a few more teams off to see where they’re at right now because that’s part of my job,” Waddell told RG in an extensive one-on-one interview this past weekend.

Trust The Process

Despite the early-season adversity, the Blue Jackets, who have been rebuilding for over five years now, don’t plan on rushing the process for short-term gain.

“One player isn’t going to make a huge difference here because we know where we’re at as an organization right now. I can’t go spend a second-round pick to get a player because I need that position filled for the rest of the year. It just doesn’t make sense for a young team. We gotta manage our assets well. Now, saying that if it’s a young player, we like that we can go for more than one year and build with, then that’s something different.”

After undergoing successful shoulder surgery last week, captain Boone Jenner is expected to be out of the lineup until at least March, if not the rest of the regular season. Veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson was recently placed on injured reserve after suffering an upper-body injury last week, and forward Kent Johnson could be out a while with an upper-body injury suffered last week. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins also missed the last three games. That was all on top of an injury list that already included Justin Danforth, Cayden Lindstrom, Gavin Brindley, and Dmitri Voronkov.

As Waddell pointed out, though, that creates an opportunity for the younger players to grow via NHL experience.

“We want to make sure we manage our assets and, frankly, give a lot of the young players more ice time,” the veteran GM pointed out. “Frankly, what we’ve seen with [Adam] Fantilli, Johnson, [Cole] Sillinger, [Kirill] Marchenko, [Yegor] Chinakhov, four games into it, none of them have disappointed us to this point.”

Market Heating Up?

While Waddell isn’t expecting to be a major player on the NHL trade market at this point, he certainly won’t shy away from having conversations in the future as talks pick up.

According to Waddell, he believes that there could be a big uptick in trade talk by the 15-20 game mark this season, as a lot of top teams have been underperforming to start the year.

“I always say that 15-20 games is where it usually picks up,” Waddell said. “It doesn’t always go that way, but there are not a lot of trades before the holidays. That being said, if the expectations are much higher than the way the team is performing, then I have seen teams try to do things early and try to get themselves back on track. I think it will be the same thing this year."

“You have some teams right now - I’m not naming any of them - that have high expectations that have started off a little slow. And I know those GMs aren’t going to be patient forever and hope they get it back going. So, I would say that you should start looking at that 15-game mark. I wouldn’t be surprised if you start seeing some action around the league.“

It doesn’t seem likely that the Blue Jackets will be major players in going after some of the big fish that will be made available on the trade market. But, given their significant reserve of cap space and flexible roster, they could certainly be called upon as a cap broker in the right deal.

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NHL Reporter
James Murphy is a veteran sports journalist with 25 years of experience covering the NHL, NCAA and CHL, including two decades on the Boston Bruins beat. His work has appeared on NHL.com, NESN, ESPN Boston and more, and he’s made regular TV and radio appearances on NESN, ESPN, TSN and SiriusXM. A familiar face in the hockey world, Murphy has covered multiple Stanley Cup Finals, NHL drafts and playoffs, and now co-hosts The Eye Test podcast with Pierre McGuire, interviewing top NHL executives, coaches and players. He joined RG in 2024 after stints with Boston Hockey Now and LiveBarn.
Interests:
NHL

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Daria Tuboltseva
Daria Tuboltseva
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Daria Tuboltseva has worked as a sports journalist since 2014 and has specialized in hockey coverage since 2016. She’s reported from some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Olympic Games (Beijing 2022), the FIFA World Cup (2018), the IIHF World Championships (2016–2019, 2021), the IIHF World Junior Championship (2019), and every Gagarin Cup Final since 2017.

Her work has appeared in leading Russian sports outlets like Championat.com and Sport24, as well as on the official websites of the KHL and the Women’s Hockey League (WHL). Daria has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the sport’s most recognized names, including Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Kirill Kaprizov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Igor Shesterkin.

Beyond her writing, Daria brings extensive on-camera experience. She hosted NHL Today on Yandex.Efir and has produced powerful long-form projects such as the documentary Lokomotiv Crash and the series Hockey Country, featuring stars like Ovechkin, Malkin, Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy, and Panarin. Her work has taken her to NHL games across North America and international events like the NHL Global Series in Europe.

In addition to her media career, Daria is a certified integrative nutritionist with a focus on sports nutrition. She works one-on-one with KHL players, helping them optimize performance and recovery through tailored nutrition plans. Her ability to blend media expertise with athlete support gives her a unique presence in the professional hockey world.

Daria publishes in both English and Russian and is the creator of the Telegram channel Coolest Game on Earth, where she shares insights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the hockey world.

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