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Columbus Blue Jackets Trade Rumblings

Originally posted on Inside The Rink | By Brian Wallace | Last updated Jun 22, 2026 6:00 PM ET

As the NHL crowed a new Stanley Cup Champion, the offseason has officially begun. Contending teams and teams close to contending are now looking for ways to improve their organizations to get into the playoffs. Rebuilding teams are looking to either bottom their roster out in order to gain more draft capital or just that, looking to add draft picks. The Columbus Blue Jackets fall into the category of looking to improve the roster to get into the playoffs. There is plenty of smoke around Columbus as the offseason gets underway, but will there be a fire?

President of Hockey Operations/ General Manager, Don Waddell, is said to be looking to “swing for the fences” in a deal or two. Waddell has made it known that he would like to trade goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and his $5.4M cap hit, and there is a market for the goalie.

There are 20-26 teams said to be looking to improve their top six or even top nine. With the rising salary cap, it seems that many teams will need to make hockey trades, as teams simply do not want to trade for futures.

Two prominent names being linked to the Blue Jackets are St. Louis Blues RW Jordan Kyrou, who has a no-trade clause, and D Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers. Both players should Waddell make the trades that would upgrade needed areas, a scoring winger, and defense.

While the team has stated they would like to keep Kent Johnson and have no plans to trade him, the organization could be willing to part with him if it nets a more consistent player like Kyrou, who, from the sounds of it, does not want to stick around through the Blues’ rebuild.

A name that popped up is also D, Damon Severson . This might be a stretch, as when he was healthy last season, he played some of the best hockey of his career on the Blue Jackets’ top line with Zach Werenski.

As stated, there is smoke surrounding the Blue Jackets, who let it be known they are willing to trade the 14th pick in the draft as well. This is a big offseason for Waddell as his team needs to reach the playoffs next season.

This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

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