Pierre LeBrun on Insider trading Thursday night, suggested that the Blue Jackets know they can get a first round pick for defencemen Jack Johnson.

As I mentioned on Insider Trading, I think the Blue Jackets know they can get a late first round pick for Jack Johnson ... but they want a forward... do they take the pick and make a separate deal for a forward? Interesting decisions lie ahead of Feb. 26

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 8, 2018

If this is true this deal should have been done yesterday. I wrote about Johnson when he first requested a trade back in January, and discussed how this is a player the Jackets should be looking to move regardless of the trade request as his reputation appears exceeds his on-ice value.

Now we know for certain that it does.

No matter where you look or how you slice it Johnson is not a very effective NHL defencemen. He has seven points in 53 games this season and at 5 on 5 has a 46.87% Corsi. He has played tougher minutes, but it’s clear regardless if you look at numbers or just watch, he can’t handle those minutes.

First round picks are extremely valuable assets even late ones have significant value. Almost a year ago I wrote why first round picks should not be traded for rental players. I discussed how rental players are significantly overvalued; they are only part of your team for a quarter of the season, it’s almost impossible to make a significant impact in that short of time period (with the exception of a goalie). I also went into the value of players on entry level contracts; these players seem to be undervalued. In a salary cap league getting a player who can fill an NHL role even a depth role for cheap has value. You are not always going to get a star with a first round pick, but more often than not you get an NHL player.

If the Jackets have the opportunity to get a first for two months of Jack Johnson they need to do that. They are better off with the pick for a number of reasons, on top of what I just mentioned. A pick has no risk of losing its value. Picks can be traded in the summer, in the summer Johnson is gone as a free agent. Picks have more appeal to rebuilding teams than Johnson. If the Jackets are after a forward, a pick is much more appealing to a team like a Buffalo then Johnson is.

Trading Johnson for a first round pick, hardly if at all hurts the Jackets. A pick has the potential to be immensely helpful. This is a trade that needs to get done.

You can follow me on Twitter @PaulBerthelot

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