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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
In need of a change, defenseman David Jiricek found one Saturday when the Columbus Blue Jackets traded the former No. 6 overall pick to the Minnesota Wild.
The Wild received Jiricek and a 2025 fifth-round pick, with the Blue Jackets receiving a top-five protected 2025 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick and defenseman Daemon Hunt.
What’s the here and now for a trade that could benefit both teams in the future? Let’s find out.
Wild grade: B+
Last season allowed the Wild to draw two conclusions about the state of their defense.
The first was that they appear to have a legitimate franchise cornerstone in Brock Faber, who finished second in Calder Trophy voting. The second was that the team needed to figure out how to continue to get younger on the back end. Especially with injuries ravaging a unit that had quite a a few players — Zach Bogosian, Jonas Brodin, Jon Merrill and captain Jared Spurgeon — all older than 30.
That process began in 2021 when they used one of their two first-round picks to select Winnipeg Ice defenseman Carson Lambos. They acquired Faber in 2022 in the Kevin Fiala trade with the Los Angeles Kings. This past June, they used their first-round pick (No. 12 overall) to draft University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium. Now, they have now added Jiricek, the sixth pick in the 2022 draft.
As for what this all means for this season?
Much of that could depend upon Jiricek. Part of what made him available in the first place was the belief that he was unhappy with his role in Columbus. He was averaging 11:11 in six games while logging less than 10 minutes over what became his final three contests before he was sent to the AHL.
Jiricek will remain in the AHL, where he try to use his time with the Wild’s affiliate to push for a role at the NHL level. Jiricek is a 6-foot-4 puck mover and those traits have come through in the AHL where he’s scored 15 goals and 60 points in 88 games. This season, he has two goals and three points in four games.
Whether he can find a way to translate his AHL production to the NHL is the looming question facing both him and the Wild. And if he can? He’ll give them another facilitator with size who could be trusted to play key minutes. Beyond that, he could give the Wild those minutes on his entry-level contract, which is important for a franchise that’s had to become adept at spending cap space because of the combined Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts that currently cost $14.7 million but will fall to $1.66 million next season.
The Wild (15-4-4) were two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the best record in the NHL and the Western Conference entering Saturday. They’re allowing the fewest goals per game in the NHL this season, the fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60, and rank in the top 10 in the fewest scoring chances allowed per 60.
Not only have they established consistency, the Wild also have the depth to go with that continuity. Faber is one of three defensemen who have played in every game this season while four of their defenseman have appeared in more than 16 games this season.
Maintaining that level means the Wild don’t have to be in a rush to call up Jiricek and can let him settle into their system. And if the Wild can remain in the hunt for a top seed, they’ve essentially added a one-time top-six pick for what will ultimately become a first-round pick that’s toward the bottom of the draft.
Blue Jackets grade: B+
Moving on from a one-time top 10 pick such as Jiricek comes with the question about if a franchise has received or has come close to receiving a return of equal value.
It appears that Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell was able to achieve that by getting a sizable haul along with a defenseman who can play right now with Hunt.
At the time of the trade, the Blue Jackets (10-9-3) look as if they could go in a few directions this season. On Saturday, they were two points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot while also being within five points of having the NHL’s worst record.
The fact Jiricek struggled to get minutes and was sent to the AHL before being traded shows that the Blue Jackets were comfortable with their dynamic in the interim. But how this could work out for them in the future is where it gets interesting.
Waddell’s time in charge of the Carolina Hurricanes saw the club rely upon the draft to build a roster that has since become one of the NHL’s perennial favorites to win the Stanley Cup. One of the ways the Hurricanes reached that destination was to have as many draft picks as possible.
With this trade, the Blue Jackets now have 27 draft picks over the next three seasons.
Another detail that could factor into the decision to move on from Jiricek is the defensive youth the Blue Jackets have on their NHL roster and in their farm system. Five of the seven defensemen on the Blue Jackets’ active roster are younger than 27. Keep in mind, that does not include Hunt.
They also have youth in their system. They used one of their three first-round picks in 2021 to draft Corson Ceulemans. A year later, they used one of their two first-rounders to take Denton Mateychuk. Of course, the other player they drafted in the first round that year was Jiricek. They also used four of their six picks to draft defensemen in 2024, with the most notable being Charlie Elick, who went in the second round.