November 21, 2024 | 12:37pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

BLUE JACKETS EXPLORING MARKET ON JIRICEK

David Jiricek, defenceman

The Columbus Blue Jackets are actively taking calls on young defenceman David Jiricek, something GM Don Waddell acknowledged this week.

Jiricek, who turns 21 on Nov. 28, has only dressed in six of the Blue Jackets’ 18 games to date this season and was recently loaned to Cleveland of the AHL to work on his game.

The 2022 sixth-overall selection has generated interest from multiple teams and Waddell is willing to listen on trade inquiries for him.

Defenseman David Jiricek, the Jackets’ No. 6 overall draft pick in 2022, was sent to AHL Cleveland to play heavy minutes, rebuild his confidence and work on his defensive game after dressing in only six of the Blue Jackets’ first 18 games this season.

“As a GM, I have to listen to every trade offer,” Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. “It doesn’t matter what the player’s name is, if we could make our team better, we always have to look at those options.

“I’ve gotten calls. We’ll continue to talk to whoever is interested in whichever player, and if something makes sense for the organization – I’ve never made a personal decision in my career, it’s always what works best for the organization – we’ll look at it.”

It is unclear what type of deal Waddell would be looking for if he ends up moving Jiricek, who is in the second year of his three-year, entry-level contract.

The Blue Jackets have plenty of salary cap space to play with and are still in the market for a top-six scoring winger. It is possible Jiricek is packaged in a deal for an upgrade up front, providing he gets his game back on track.

“For whatever reason, it hasn’t gone as smoothly with his transition to the NHL this year,” Waddell said. “He’s played in some games. I know he hasn’t played the minutes he’s wanted to play but his confidence ... just watching him the other night (vs. Boston), and he’s worried about making that mistake.

“He’s 20 years old. He’s going to be 21 at the end of the month. He’s very young, and playing in the NHL is tough enough to start with. We made a decision that we thought it was best for him to go play some games in Cleveland, and we’ll see how it goes.”