The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although many expected not too much action to take place, the team did make one major move in the wee hours of Friday morning.
The Blue Jackets acquired Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a pair of draft picks, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick. Garland has arrived in Columbus and will make his team debut Saturday night against the Utah Mammoth.
The time has come to reflect on what we saw at this trade deadline. The Blue Jackets remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL and are on a 14-2-1 run to put them on the cusp of the playoff race.
Garland turned out to be the only move GM Don Waddell made. What lessons did we learn about the Blue Jackets at this deadline?
Forward Was Always the Priority
Waddell spoke on Friday afternoon after the trade deadline passed. He admitted knowing during the Olympic break that he was focused on being a buyer no matter how the games right after the break went.
Waddell identified forward as their key area of need. In Garland, they get a player that checks off all the boxes they were looking for.
“We went in, started weeks ago, but Monday talking about what we feel like we needed for our team to take that next step,” Waddell said. “We didn’t come up with a lot of things that we felt we needed. Except we wanted to add a forward, someone that could score and help the top-six, the top two times. So we went in with that thinking.”
“As it progressed through Wednesday (and) Thursday, we talked about a few players. We really focused on Conor and were able to continue through dialogues with Vancouver for multiple days Wednesday, Thursday and then finally got it to the finish line…We’ve studied him hard. We’ve scouted him hard. We think in our environment with the players he’s going to have that opportunity to play with, that he will come back to be that 20-goal scorer that he’s been in the past.”
The one issue for the Blue Jackets has been finding a consistent second line. Garland will play on the right Saturday night on a line with Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson. Assuming Mason Marchment is able to play Saturday night, all indications are pointing to yes, that would leave Dmitri Voronkov as a healthy scratch.
The Blue Jackets hope this bump in the top-six will be enough to finish the job. Waddell spoke on why he didn’t need to do anything on the blue line or in net.
“We just won three games without our best player in Werenski and that’s pretty impressive,” Waddell said. “That means other guys have stepped up in those three games. Yes, we gave up four in New York but we gave up two with Florida and the game before. So the goaltending and defense have done a good job. We’ve been comfortable with them all year when we’re healthy.”
Garland having term was also a big factor as expected in the Blue Jackets wanting to acquire him. They wanted the cost certainty that comes with knowing what the next six years would look like. They have to account for the eventual new contracts of Zach Werenski, Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko among others.
The lesson learned here was that the second-line issues were enough for the Blue Jackets to target a forward. In Garland, they hope that line will start producing on a more consistent basis.
A Lesson In Asset Management
This sometimes gets overlooked. However, asset management is one of the most critical things that NHL teams have to get right.
With this trade deadline, the way Waddell handled previous business helped set the Blue Jackets up to make a major move. But it started last season when the team elected to trade David Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild.
The two big parts of the trade were acquiring Daemon Hunt and a first-round pick. That first rounder went towards drafting their goalie of the future in Pyotr Andreyanov. A bigger discussion must be had about the other pieces in that trade.
The Blue Jackets also acquired a 2027 second rounder and a 2026 third rounder in that trade with the Wild. Both of those picks have been used in other trades by Waddell. They helped the team land both Marchment and Garland.
#CBJ traded David Jiricek to the Wild.
The Blue Jackets used the first rounder to draft goalie of the future Pyotr Andreyanov.
The 2027 second they got went to Seattle to help get Mason Marchment.
The 2026 third they got went to Vancouver to help get Conor Garland.
— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) March 6, 2026
If the Blue Jackets are able to extend Marchment, it will make a great situation look even better. This is Asset Management 101 by Waddell turning assets into players when the right situation becomes available.
Remember how upset many fans were when Jiricek was traded. That move allowed the Blue Jackets the opportunity to make these two moves to help in their playoff chase this season.
The Blue Jackets got better at this trade deadline and didn’t have to part with any first-round picks or top prospects. Regardless of how 2025-26 finishes out, the team is setup well for the future.
Same Approach With Pending UFAs
Ivan Provorov was kept at the 2025 Trade Deadline by the Blue Jackets as an own rental. Then before the start of free agency, the team signed him to a new deal that would keep him in Columbus long term.
Flash forward to this season. It’ll be the same situation only this time, more players will be involved.
Marchment along with Boone Jenner, Charlie Coyle and Erik Gudbranson all need new contracts. Waddell spoke to all of them during the break and made one thing clear. He said that nothing would be done on those new contracts until the offseason. He offered his reasoning behind it.
“What you ask for in March, it might be different in June,” Waddell said. “As I thought about it, I thought it would hurt the locker room if I signed one and not the rest or signed two and not the other. So I just decided none of them were close. Let’s just put it off, call all the agents and say ‘We’ll talk at the end of the year. Not going to talk during the year, (talk) when the season is over. Did it last year and I’ve done it for years. If a player wants to be here and we want him here, we’ll find a way.”
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The Blue Jackets are solely focused on the rest of this season before handling any other business decisions. There is precedence that players will re-sign with the team if there is mutual interest. This way, guys know where they stand without having to worry about when the next meeting could happen.
During this run of good play, anything to keep the locker room in a good place is a top priority. Because of the way Waddell decided to handle this, he’s ensured a consistent approach which should sit well with the players in that situation.
