Is Columbus ready to move its highest-paid defenseman?
If reports are to be believed, the Columbus Blue Jackets could be preparing to trade their highest-scoring defenseman before the trade deadline.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Post-Dispatch reported on Monday night that the Jackets are shopping defenseman James Wisniewski in an effort to move him before the NHL trade deadline on March 2.
Such a move would divorce Columbus from its best offensive blueliner with just a few weeks left in the regular season. Wisniewski leads all Jackets defensemen this season with seven goals and 20 assists in 52 games.
More pressing, however, is the issue of finding a suitor for Wisniewski's salary. The 31-year-old defenseman costs $5.5 million against the cap this season so Columbus will be hard-pressed to find fair value for him in the next seven days. That said, his contract does diminish to $5 million next year and $3 million the year after that.
As of Monday, the Blue Jackets sit nine points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with just 24 games remaining.