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PLD Traded, Lightning Defeated |
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The big news of the day is that Patrick Laine is a Blue Jacket! But we will get to that in a minute.
Columbus took it to the Lightning for a 5-2 victory in the Saturday matinee. The Jackets secured 3 of 4 points in the two game set with TBL. This moves them just behind Tampa (and tied with 6 points) for the Central Division lead. Columbus finds itself having played the most games in the division and with only at .500 record (2-2-2) though.
Five different Jackets scored (Foligno, Grigorenko, Gavrikov, Werenski and Robinson) and they only trailed for 17 seconds in the game. With any luck this balanced scoring will continue even as Laine joins the lineup. Through 6 games the CBJ average 2.5 goals per game. This is an extremely small sample and was boosted enormously by the 5-goal performance Saturday. Columbus has only scored more than 2 goals in two games (both victories).
Now the news Jackets fans have been waiting for. Here are the details of the trade:
Jackets get:
Patrick Laine
Jack Roslovic
Jets get:
Pierre-Luc Dubois
3rd Round 2022 Pick
The marquee players in the trade, Laine and PLD, were drafted one-after-the-other in the 2016 NHL draft (Laine #2, PLD #3, with Auston Matthews going #1). It was no secret that JK would have loved to get Laine, but the cost to move up one spot may have been too high. Drafting Dubois at number 3 shocked observers but proved to be a prudent pick that has now resulted in Laine skating in C-Bus.
The popular question will be 'who won the trade'. Neither player was happy with their current team, so in a way, both teams (and players) may end up winning. The big question in this trade is 'will Laine re-sign in Columbus'.
An interesting piece in this trade is Roslovic. He is 23, born in Columbus and was drafted in the first round (#25 in 2015). Over 180 NHL games he has 67 points and is listed as a center. With the departure of PLD, does Domi become the first line center? With Roslovic in the mix can Jenner stay on wing?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the season. PLD did many good things in his time with the Jackets. He was shaping into the star center Columbus has always wanted. It is a shame that history has repeated itself.
On the bright side, JK landed a player that should help the CBJ scoring issues. I have been one to point out every chance I could that this team needed a scorer.
On the horizon the Jackets host FLA for 2 games starting tomorrow (and Thursday) and conclude the season's first month at CHI. In the first two games of this homestand the CBJ have secured 3-of-4 points. Two more points would make it a successful 4-game-set. There is the possibility of 7 points, but lets not get greedy.
Good Luck and GO JACKETS!
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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