Dzingel Traded to Blue Jackets

The Ottawa Senators have traded Ryan Dzingel and a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for left winger Anthony Duclair, a second-round pick in the 2020 Draft and a second-round pick in the 2021 Draft, the Blue Jackets announced Saturday.

The 26-year-old winger has scored 22 goals and a career-high 44 points in 57 games this season. The Senators seventh-round pick from 2011 has proven to be an excellent find as he’s scored 62 goals and 126 points in 247 NHL games.

He’s also scored upwards of 20 goals in each of the last two seasons and could be a very good grab for the Blue Jackets as they look to make a push for the postseason.

Dzingel’s ability to play all three forward positions is also helpful, as is his very affordable cap hit on an expiring deal. He can expect a sizeable raise from his current $1.8 million annual salary, especially with goal-scorers always in such high demand.

Ottawa Senators' Ryan Dzingel Winnipeg Jets Laurent Brossoit
Ottawa Senators’ Ryan Dzingel scores the game-winning goal against Winnipeg Jets Laurent Brossoit (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)

Whether or not Dzingel re-signs with the Blue Jackets is anyone’s guess but he should be an under-the-wire addition that could help out in a multitude of ways down the stretch.

“We are very happy to add Ryan Dzingel to our team as he is a very good player and goal scorer in the National Hockey League and a quality person who we believe will be a great fit with our group,” said general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. “He has local ties having played at Ohio State and in talking to him is very excited about coming back to Columbus, being a Blue Jacket and helping us as we move forward.”

Blue Jackets Making Splash at Trade Deadline

This trade comes just one day after the Blue Jackets made a blockbuster trade to acquire Matt Duchene from the Senators. Rather than being one of the biggest sellers at the deadline with both Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky being potential trade targets for a variety of teams around the NHL, the Blue Jackets have now flipped the script and have become arguably the biggest buyers.

Blue Jackets center Matt Duchene
Blue Jackets center Matt Duchene (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

Both Duchene and Dzingel were reportedly drawing interest from a number of teams around the league and within 24 hours, they would both be scooped up by Columbus who now look like the team to beat in the Metropolitan Division.

Though the team sits in third place in their division with 73 points and only a one-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes (though they do hold a game in hand), the Blue Jackets new lineup looks like they have enough firepower to not only topple the Washington Capitals (75 points) but also the New York Islanders (77 points).

It’ll be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets do still opt to move Panarin prior to the deadline but these two trades make doing so far easier as they’ve already replaced that production. Recouping some valuable picks and assets in a deal for Panarin could also go a long way to mitigate the losses from these two additions.

Senators Embracing Rebuild

For the Senators, Duclair is another young player who has proven he can score as he did record 20 goals and 44 points in 81 games in his rookie season in 2015-16. Unfortunately, things have gone downhill for the 23-year-old who has struggled and is now joining his fifth team since 2015.

Anthony Duclair #91, Columbus Blue Jackets
Anthony Duclair #91, Columbus Blue Jackets – December 22, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The Senators are hoping they can turn things around with Duclair while also getting some more picks to work with inside the top half of the next few drafts.