If we’re to believe what’s been written, the Blue Jackets and Avalanche have been discussing a Matt Duchene trade for months.
They may have, at one point, been close to completing a deal.
Every piece of information pointed to 24-year-old defenseman Ryan Murray being a part of any potential deal. The player the Blue Jackets (granted, under a different GM) selected No. 2 overall in 2012 would be key piece that secured a top-six center. In order to get, you’ve got to give, and the Blue Jackets clearly thought highly enough of Murray to put his name in the mix during trade discussions.
For whatever reason, it seems as though Avalanche GM Joe Sakic wasn’t having it.
No one has met Sakic’s asking price to this point and they may never get there, especially if Sakic holds firm in demanding three or four legitimate pieces to make a deal. But any deal that began with Murray didn’t go anywhere, because if it had, we may not be sitting here in late October wondering why the Blue Jackets and Avalanche can’t make a deal they both obviously want to make.
Sakic may have thought he could do better than Murray, that he could hold out for another player he coveted. If that’s the case, it has been a gross miscalculation on two fronts: first. Sakic’s expectations are too high. Second, while Murray hasn’t always been a lineup regular (he’s had a horrid run of luck with injuries in his young career), he’s an effective player, and his play so far this season should be DVR’d, cut, and hand-delivered to Sakic’s front door.
Maybe Murray took it personally?
“You don’t want me, so I guess I’ll have to show you.”
Either way, Murray’s start has been a welcomed surprise as it’s good news for one of the nicest people you’ll meet. Murray is a Grade-A human being and the type of person you pull for. He probably didn’t think he would be returning to Columbus this fall — and he indicated as much in a training camp interview with The Athletic — but here he is, playing some of the best hockey of his career, bringing balance to a Blue Jackets defense corps that’s under a lot of pressure right now.
When he’s on the ice, the Blue Jackets (51.2 CF%) are driving 5-on-5 play. His expected goals share (33%) isn’t anything crazy, but on the third defense pairing, Murray has been able to have an impact in the possession department while rotating through a few different partners.
Murray may not be Mattias Ekholm or Noah Hanifin (you’re not getting them anyway) but he's a damn good player. I have no idea why the Avalanche thought he wasn’t good enough to get a deal done, but hey, that’s why I write. Murray has been one of the Blue Jackets’ most consistent players at the open of this new season, and if anyone’s paying close attention, they’re seeing a top-four defenseman.
If Colorado doesn’t want Murray, that’s fine. The Blue Jackets have one of the NHL’s deepest blue lines for as long as he’s around.
PROBLEM NEEDING SOLUTION
All the sudden, things are…precarious for the Blue Jackets.
They started 5-1 and everyone’s happy. Sergei Bobrovsky could’ve stopped a thimble. The power play wasn’t working but hey, it’ll come around, right?
Did you ever think we’d reach a point — in the season’s third week, nonetheless — where the Blue Jackets would hope Jordan Schroeder clears waivers so they can add him to the roster? Holy shit. It’s been a weird start to the season and it doesn’t seem any closer to normalizing.
What’s craziest of all is that the Blue Jackets haven’t played that bad. They have a winger in Nick Foligno stepping into a top-six center role. A rookie (Sonny Milano) is leading the team is goals but hasn’t played consistently enough to get regular top-six minutes, instead spending most nights bouncing around from the fourth line. They don’t have a goal from Brandon Dubinsky, and Artemi Panarin has one goal in eight games.
It’s just not good enough. But there’s time to work it out.
Lukas Sedlak’s ankle injury is a devastating blow to the Blue Jackets’ depth. He’s a go-to guy for John Tortorella and is, along with Matt Calvert, part of their “A” penalty-killing group. He’s also a center, a position the Blue Jackets began the season lean on and now they’re whittling down to bare bones. If it was a by-committee approach before, it’s magnified now as the Blue Jackets search for answers on the fly.
PHASMA: GOOD
I’m halfway into Phasma, the latest Star Wars novel that peels back the many layers of Captain Phasma’s backstory. What’s most exciting about the book — so far — has been the depth put into telling us who Phasma is. We know just about everything there is to know early on in the book and how it shapes her evolution into First Order warrior; I won’t give anything away, but it’s seriously good and I’m afraid it’s creeping into Bloodline territory. For those who don’t know, my professional opinion is that Bloodline is the best Star Wars book ever.
YOU SHOULD BE READING
- The Blue Jackets are suddenly searching for a center.
- They've not played their best, but the Jackets haven't been lucky either.
- The Blue Jackets are looking up in the Metro at...New Jersey?
Follow 1st Ohio BatteryFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
