Not so long ago a kid named William Karlsson was a casualty in the expansion draft because Josh Anderson (and Korpi to a lesser extent) was untouchable. I was confused by this because I had seen Karlsson play and hadn't seen Anderson play. As fate would have it, Karlsson had a huge season for VGK in an unprecedented run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Just a few years later we are here. Anderson has had some good seasons, is a big, speedy guy who has put up good scoring numbers, but has fallen off a bit this season. Several injuries have kept him from breaking out. And the performance of the call-ups has allowed him to take his time in recovery.

All of this points to one question: Is Josh Anderson expendable? As the old adage goes, no one player is bigger than the team. This is as true with Josh as anyone on the team.

Would Jarmo even consider an offer for him? Where might he go? What would he bring in return? Josh makes a cap-friendly $1.85M and is in the last season of his contract. He is an RFA and due a significant raise. In the prior 3 seasons he had 17, 19 and 27 goals. Twenty-six games this season have only netted him one goal. That stat line cannot be ignored. And it will lead to teams trying to lower his trade value (along with his injury status).

To answer the first question, yes, Jarmo would consider trading him if the deal was right. The right deal would mean that Josh would head to the Western conference and return a package of high level prospects and picks, or Johnny Gaudreau...I know this is a bit of a pipe dream. Could we see CGY, WPG, VAN or maybe even CHI put an offer together for Josh? Maybe.

I like Anderson. He plays a good game; hard in the corners, speedy through the neutral zone and has (had) a scoring touch. Let's face it though, this is a business and he is an asset. One that has not been missed while injured.

The issue with a trade now is that this 'asset' is at its lowest value. Injuries and a lack of scoring lend to arguments of lesser value.

Let's take a different lens on Josh Anderson. He has been non-existent all season for the Jackets. What if there were a power forward, who possessed speed and a scoring touch. While his scoring is down this season, he has shown his potential in the past. What would the CBJ pay to get a player like this? Lucky for the Jackets, they don't have to pay anything. This could be the trade-deadline-scorer that Columbus covets...if he gets his scoring touch back.

Good Luck and Go Jackets

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