Blue Jackets GM back in Business

After being away on leave for the past months, GM Silverton picked up where he left off, and started answering messages of business that were put on the backburner.

« The club has a good foundation, but a bit too heavy in some areas and light on others… so my goal in the next while is to balance things out. Another area I had to address was our locker room. As we speak we have two players that have expressed that they wanted to be traded. (Lundqvist and Neal). When we acquired Neal we had another deal in place for him and out of respect I informed him of our plans before he even arrived… but soon after we notified him, the other team decided to back away which left us with an asset we werent ready to commit to and a player who was not motivated to play for a rebuilding team. As for Lundqvist, well as usual, as soon as he heard I was back in my office he was there within minutes to check up on me… he is well aware of our situation though (cash flow) and that I'd be willing to grant his wish if the situation presented itself… if not, he's with us for another three years and by that time I'm confident we'll have a team that can make a push for the cup and itll maybe convince him to stay with us longer to win a few cups. »

In the first trade CBJ acquired Josh Morrissey, Henrick Samuelsson, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Derek Roy, Michael Ryder, the 2016 1st round pick from Montreal, and a 2016 5th round pick from Chicago for James Neal, JT Miller and Brad Richardson. While many were not surprised to see Neal dealt many fans were surprised to see Miller depart.

In Josh Morrissey the CBJ GM is banking on Josh attaining his ceiling as a top performing defenseman who will in the future round up the top four with Schultz, Hamilton, and Jones. Scouts had the following to say about him : « Morrissey (8.0C) is one of the elite defensemen in his age group. A key power play performer in junior hockey, his offensive instincts are immediately evident. He is an accurate passer and carries the puck with confidence. Morrissey is not hesitant to initiate the transition from defense to offense. His high level technical skills fit well with some of the young forwards in the Winnipeg system. »

In Samuelsson, depending on the depth of the top 6 are hoping that Henrick will be able to contribute as a big mobile power forward who can log in some time on the second line, or be able to chip in that rôle as needed. Scouts had the following to say about him : « Samuelsson is a big, powerful winger with some impressive physical attributes. He has the tools to become a force as a power forward on the wing. On top of his size and strength he has good hands and can handle the puck with confidence on the rush. Samuelsson has a high hockey IQ, knowing the right places to be in both ends. »

GMS had the following to say : « I would like to thank Neal, Miller, and Richardson for all they have done for this club. This trade was a difficult one to make as I knew as soon as I have made this trade, it would set us back a couple of seasons. But sometimes to move forward, you have to take a step or two back. But what this trade has done, was hopefully solidify our Defensive core in the future, and added some some strength, speed, and skill on the wings. Another big factor in the trade was the acquisition of the 1st round pick. While many were raving about the depth of the 2015 draft, 2016 is viewed to be very deep as well and will hold many great prospects in the first two rounds. »

The next trade though had fans scratching their heads as the CBJ traded Marcus Johansson and a 3 & 5th round pick for Magnus Paajarvi, Martin Havlat, and a second round pick. Paajarvi who has elite skills has yet to produce in the professional level and has many GM labeling him as one of the biggest busts ever. GMS though seemed to have thought differently though as he traded a fan favorite in Johansson for him.

« Everyone knows I like to gamble at times, and this one may end up biting me in the ass… but have you seen him play? He's consistently one of the hardest working players I've seen. In the past few seasons he was asked to refine his defensive play… which he has… but for some reason ever since he's done so, he's having some difficulty finding his offensive touch he has. I'm confident that it will come… when you have a certain skill you dont easily lose it… it will come. As for him leaving North America… Can he… possibly, but really, if he really wanted to play over seas I'm sure he would have made the move already. This is maybe the riskiest gamble I've taken, but I've been right before (Kuz) and I hope he will prove all doubters wrong also. Also in the deal to lessen the blow is a second rounder, like I've mentioned before in the Neal/Miller trade, can turn out to be a very good pick for us. »