The Columbus Blue Jackets wasted no time in addressing their blue line this offseason with the additions of Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson. But now another defenseman seems to be getting some trade interest around the league.
According to Insider Chris Johnston, defenseman Andrew Peeke is generating trade interest. Johnston said as much Monday both on his show “The Chris Johnston Show” and in writing on NorthStar Bets when he released his CJ’s Big Board. Peeke came in at 8th on that list.
Peeke’s name was brought up as part of a larger discussion surrounding Calgary Flames’ defenseman Noah Hanifin. “Even in Columbus, I think someone like Andrew Peeke is getting some interest on the market because there’s not a lot of ways to solve your blue line jigsaw puzzle in straight up free agency. There’s going to be a trade market this year.” You can hear the comments starting at 31:37 in the above clip.
Then in his Big Board piece, Johnston took things a step further and indicated that Peeke “is generating the most interest” of any defenseman on the Blue Jackets. This includes the likes of both Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean, in which Johnston says the Blue Jackets would be willing to listen.
Instant Reaction
Hearing this comes as no surprise. It was clear from day one of the offseason that the Blue Jackets’ defense was going to get a significant makeover after a dreadful season in which they allowed the most goals in franchise history.
Then when we consider that Mike Babcock will be the incoming head coach and you have a situation in which the only question was how big would the blue line changes be. We know who’s coming in. Now we get to find out who’s eventually coming out.
The Blue Jackets’ depth chart now looks something like this if we include Provorov and Severson. You will see quickly what kind of a logjam exists.
- Zach Werenski-Damon Severson
- Ivan Provorov-Eric Gudbranson
- Jake Bean-Adam Boqvist/Andrew Peeke/Nick Blankenburg
We haven’t even gotten to top prospect David Jiricek yet. If he’s ready for the NHL this season, that makes the room even more crowded.
It is important to note that GM Jarmo Kekalainen has already said this offseason that you can never have enough depth on defense. Teams are just a couple injuries away from having to test their depth. If we don’t count Blankenburg, the Blue Jackets have seven defensemen on the roster who all have a cap hit of at least $2.33 million.
What Peeke Provides
The right side is especially jammed which explains why teams would have interest in Peeke or Boqvist. Peeke comes with the extra benefit of term. He has three more seasons left on his current deal. His cap hit is also more than reasonable at just $2.75 million per season. Acquiring teams would get cost certainty for someone in Peeke who can play over 20 minutes a night on the right side.
Because of the injury situation with the Blue Jackets last season, Peeke saw some time on the top pair. He scored six goals and 13 points while playing in 80 games. The -41 was a result of having a depleted lineup virtually all season and not being able to prevent teams from scoring in bunches.
What Peeke does provide though is size on the right side at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. He can play the physical game if needed. He wasn’t an overly physical defenseman coming in but has added that element to his game. He’s added some offense as well in which he showed a willingness to shoot more. He was also called upon to kill penalties.
While Peeke can play anywhere on the blue line, he seems best suited for a 3-4 role. He is a good puck-moving defenseman who has an ability to break up plays using his long reach.
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At this point, Peeke projects to be more of a stay-at-home defenseman who has room to get stronger. Teams like the Edmonton Oilers come to mind as a possible fit although the list of interested teams could be lengthy since the demand is high and supply seems to be low given the lackluster free-agent market.
The Blue Jackets still need help at center. Perhaps they can get that help with this kind of trade either in the form of a player or a higher draft pick that can be flipped for center help. The price for Peeke should be higher since he projects as a top-four defenseman who can eat a ton of minutes and has a perfect contract for the flat-cap world.
While it’s not 100% Peeke will be traded, teams will call. If the right return comes up for the Blue Jackets, they will strongly consider it. They eventually have to loosen the logjam on the right side. If this trade does happen, it will be a trade of opportunity that could benefit both teams involved.