Blue Jackets Trading Jiricek Provides Glimpse Into Future Plans

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In the National Hockey League, most every player can be had for a price. If an acquiring team is willing to meet that price, trades will happen.

For the Columbus Blue Jackets, they had a price in mind when listening to offers for their prized defensive prospect David Jiricek. Several teams were interested. But it was the Minnesota Wild who stepped up and met the asking price.

In the process, we learned a couple of interesting things about the Blue Jackets including a potential glimpse into their future plans.

Trade Recap

On Saturday afternoon, the Blue Jackets and Wild completed a trade that saw two players and several draft picks involved. Here is the full trade.

  • The Blue Jackets received D Daemon Hunt, a 2025 top-5 protected first-round pick (it will transfer to 2026 if it’s in the top-5), a 2026 third-round pick (Colorado), a 2026 fourth-round pick (previously Toronto’s) and a 2027 second-round pick.
  • The Wild received D David Jiricek and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

For now, both Hunt and Jiricek were assigned to the AHL. It’s clear what the Wild had in mind. They see they upside of Jiricek and were interested in adding him to an already loaded blue line. If they’re able to develop him while working the flaws out of his game, they’ll be positioned well for future success.

The question we will consider for the Blue Jackets here is why now? Why were they interested in trading Jiricek now when he’s still only 21 and barely beginning to scratch the surface of how good he can be?

David Jiricek Columbus Blue Jackets
David Jiricek was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Like we said in the beginning, everyone has a price. The Blue Jackets were comfortable making this trade with the return they got.

Glimpse into Future

Hunt will have a role within the Blue Jackets’ organization. While he’ll start with the Monsters now, he could work his way into the rotation for games in the NHL. He reunites with Denton Mateychuk in Cleveland. Both were teammates back in Moose Jaw.

While the number of picks surely helped to facilitate this trade, it’s the 2025 first rounder that the Blue Jackets clearly valued. Here is what GM Don Waddell had to say about the trade. Notice the ending.

“Daemon is a very good, young defenseman and we are excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family. In addition to adding a very good prospect, the draft picks we’ve acquired provide us with valuable assets that we can use to improve our club moving forward. I’d also like to thank David for his contributions during his time with our organization and wish him well.”

The Blue Jackets acquired “valuable assets” that they can use to improve the club moving forward. They now own two firsts in the 2025 Draft. Depending on the rest of the season, that number could go to three if they’re able to get the return on Ivan Provorov should he be traded by the deadline.

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Here’s how it provides a potential glimpse into the future. First, they can add significantly to an already loaded prospect pool. Should players be available within those ranges, the Blue Jackets have the means to draft them.

But where this gets interesting is the potential improvement to the roster. The Blue Jackets can now involve themselves in potential trades to acquire NHL players without having to give up their own first rounder. They have significant draft capital and cap space to work with.

Suddenly, their rebuild might not take as long as first thought if the right moves are made with the assets they have.

The Blue Jackets have obvious holes on their roster. Unlike most teams, they have the flexibility to address those holes. They’re now positioned to be one of the more active teams of the upcoming offseason.

Looking at this trade from a potential roster improvement lens, the trade makes more sense. Now consider who the Blue Jackets still have in the organization.

Still Have Defensive Depth

Denton Mateychuk currently leads all AHL defensemen in scoring as a rookie. He’s three points clear of the next player. He’s off to a tremendous start. His rise is one factor that opened the door for the Blue Jackets to make the Jiricek trade.

Monsters head coach Trent Vogelhuber told the Hockey Writers on Saturday that Mateychuk’s maturity is what stands out. He’s already developing the habits of an experienced NHL veteran at such a young age. It’s only a matter of time until he stars in the NHL.

Jiricek is right-handed. The Blue Jackets have right-handed depth in the organization namely in the form of Charlie Elick, their second-round pick from this past draft. There is optimism about what he could eventually become.

Even without Jiricek, the prospect pool remains strong. But the Blue Jackets now have extra flexibility they didn’t have before that will allow them to address needs with multiple avenues to do it.

Waddell was interested in trading Jiricek now because the player wasn’t ready to step into the NHL. His skating, decision-making and play away from the puck are all a work in progress. Hunt and the draft capital coming back was more valuable to the Blue Jackets at this moment than waiting for Jiricek to hit his stride.

Hence, the trade was completed with both teams getting what they wanted. We now have a glimpse into what the Blue Jackets’ future could look like. We’ll see which direction they decide to go with their assets. But they now have the means to be a significant player in future trades.