The Columbus Blue Jackets may not be done just yet
Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch: With Nick Foligno and David Savard traded, what else is left for the Columbus Blue Jackets? Apparently. Jarmo Kekalainen is not done just yet. Riley Nash went to Toronto to give the Maple Leafs some LTIR space. With all the injuries in Columbus currently, selling remains possible to even likely on Monday.
The return for Savard was quite good under the circumstances. Getting that first-round pick with the 2022 third-round pick was the icing on the cake.
Michael Del Zotto may be the next defenseman from Columbus to be traded. He knows the nature of the business better than most. Del Zotto makes just $700,000 and could easily be shipped for a second or third-round pick. Keep an eye out on a player like Gustav Nyquist as well, who is recovering from injury. He is skating in practice.
It seems like any deal is possible at this stage. Given what has transpired on Sunday night and early Monday morning, things are ever-changing.
Could Rasmus Ristolainen be moved by the NHL Trade Deadline?
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period: As the trade deadline draws closer, could Rasmus Ristolainen be next to exit the Buffalo Sabres? Quite a few other defensemen have one more year on their deals including Calvin de Haan, Will Butcher, and even Hampus Lindholm.
Ristolainen makes $5.4 million next season and could maybe be worth it for some team to take a shot at the defenseman. Everyone knows about the defenseman’s uneven scoring and defensive shortcomings. Also, there was COVID this season and the after-effects of Ristolainen suffering through being that ill.
What could the Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman get the team in return? After several Buffalo players have been moved, even Taylor Hall (early Monday morning), anything is possible.
This has been one very unusual trade deadline so why should the chaos stop now? Would one expect any less?
