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One Trade With Every NHL Team – Columbus Blue Jackets

Jan 11, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn (22) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Seattle Kraken at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Keeping this paragraph as a starting point if this is your first time reading this series: We will be continuing our journey through this series looking at one team at a time to act as a trade partner. Please keep in mind this should not be viewed in the same way as a comprehensive GM for a day type of post where we are looking to completely overhaul the team in one fell swoop. Each article will “reset” the Sabres roster, so don’t be surprised to see the same players, prospects, and picks used repeatedly in various trade offers.

Looking at the Blue Jackets roster, it is generally safe to stay that this would not be a team Buffalo partners up with to make a trade for the sake of adding veteran experience. Both Buffalo and Columbus are two of the youngest teams in the league. It does seem like Columbus has found some magic in a bottle for the first half of the season, will that carry through to a strong finish and playoff position?

I would be remiss to not give a show of respect to the Gaudreau family and everything they’ve gone through and continue to endure with the loss of Johnny and Matthew in a tragic bicycling incident before the season started. It is phenomenal to see the support offered to the Gaudreau family, not other through some of their direct teammates, but the hockey community as a whole.

So, if the Sabres are not targeting experience when trading with the Blue Jackets what options are available and who fits our competitive timeline that the Blue Jackets would be willing to part ways with?

To Buffalo: Yegor Chinakov and Stanislav Svozil

To Columbus: Jack Quinn and Mattias Samuelsson

Let me start by saying that Jack Quinn is one of my favorite players to watch on the team today. In my opinion, he has the second highest goal scoring ceiling of any player on the roster aside from Tage Thompson. With that being said, as enjoyable as it is to watch Quinn when he’s pulling off a smooth move that leads to a scoring opportunity, there are some noticeable flaws in his game as well.

Looking at the 2020 draft year, we can see a number of players starting to find success at the NHL level. Both Quinn and Chinakov were part of that draft class and each player was taken in the first round. Jack Quinn was taken 8th overall by Buffalo and Yegor Chinakov was taken 21st overall by Columbus. I do think these players hold relatively close value today, and would be curious if a “re-draft” was done which player would be selected first. From a size standpoint each player is listed at 6’1, however Chinakov is shown to have 20lbs on Quinn when it comes to weight.

Columbus could be interested in Quinn’s pure sniper abilities, and when he is on his game, there is some elite characteristics to his shot. With the Blue Jackets not committing long-term to Chinakov on his current deal, it is possible they offer a similar bridge deal to Quinn to evaluate his play with the team and if he would be able to reach his potential.

Additionally, I do think that Samuelsson could be a very good fit for the Blue Jackets. Focusing on the Blue Jackets defense, they really only have Werenski and Severson locked up long term. Their current 2nd pairing LHD in Ivan Provorov is on an expiring contract this year, and it sounds likely they will be looking to trade him away for other assets. Samuelsson would add some size and toughness to their back end, even with him having a long-term contract, the cap hit is still very manageable.

On the flip side, I would excited about the players Buffalo was to get if Columbus agreed to this deal. Chinakov is much like Quinn, in that he is just scratching the surface of his potential. His ice-time when initially breaking into the league was at or below 15min per game, and and steadily risen over time leading to increased production. Chinakov also possesses a strong & hard shot, but couples that with fast straight line speed. His underlying numbers suggest that he is a strong possession driver, and could flourish if given a bigger role on the Sabres.

Stanislav Svozil is a LHD prospect, but I use that term loosely. He has played a couple of games in the NHL, and has put together a couple very successful AHL seasons. In my opinion he is ready to take the leap to full time NHL duties. I believe he was an underrated in his draft year, and while his is generally average in size (6′ 180lbs) – he can play a physical game and likes to assert himself in the neutral zone when given the opportunity. At 22 years of age, and averaging over a half point in the AHL with a plus rating, there is some upside with this player. With the Blue Jackets already having Denton Mateychuk in their system, this seems like a player they would be willing to part with.

Hope everyone enjoyed this article and trade suggestion, looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Not quite a blockbuster in this scenario, but a trade that I think would benefit the Sabres in the long run.

Thank you as always – Go Sabres!

Talking Points