Marner to CBJ

id be so down for that

I wish I could say I was surprised by how little Leafs fans are considering the Blue Jackets needs so far this off-season, but I'm really not anymore. This proposal is awful for the Jackets and they would not consider it.

I wish I could say I was surprised by how little non-Leafs fans are considering Marners value to a team, but I'm really not anymore.

As someone who enjoys following the Blue Jackets, here is what I assume:
- Defense Group is set for the foreseeable future. Lots of young talented defensemen to go with Veterans that are locked in long term. Seems to be a lot of tension between CBJ and Jiricek, potentially making him a valuable trade asset.
- Goaltending isn't an issue by any means.
- Forward Group is fine, just need to wait for the young guys to come into their own.

How does adding a genuine superstar do anything other than help the Jackets? I feel like I'm not asking a ton considering the level of player you'd be getting in return. The Jackets with Marner are a playoff team and a serious threat. To say that the Jackets wouldn't so much as consider this offer is laughable, ESPECIALLY considering that the BPA at your draft pick will be a defenseman. Thus roster would be infinitely better than anything you could manage to put together without adding Marner:

Laine - Fantilli - Marner
Johnson - Jenner - Gaudreau
Voronkov - Sillinger - Marchenko
4th Liner - Kuraly - Olivier

Werenski - Severson
Provorov - Boqvist
Mateychuk - Gudbranson

Merzlikins
Tarasov

I'm assuming Texier gets dealt, doesn't seem like there's a definitive role for him. Not sure what to think of A. Nylander.

Regardless, Marner and a coach who isn't completely braindead transforms CBJ into a playoff team 🤷‍♂️

The simple answer is that you asked for Jiricek and he's not available. The stories you may have heard about him being "disgruntled" or whatever are basocally thirsty pundits looking at the sorts of disappointed comments literally any prospect in the world makes when they get demoted to the AHL and declaring that that means he wants out because something something Columbus.

Also, the defense group is as far from set as it can possibly be. It needs a lot of revision. Merzlikins is legitimately disgruntled. And while overlooking Danforth isn't quite an unpardonable sin (even tho he's been awesome), like so many others y'all nonetheless seem to have complewtely forgotten about Chinakhov's very existence. Simply put, we don't have room for three top-line high-priced wingers on the team.

Who are these "lots of young talented defenders" you speak of outside of Jiricek and Mateychuk? Werenski is turning 27 this year, Severson is turning 30, Provorov is 27 and has no future with the team, Gudbranson is 32, Boqvist is young, but far from talented, and Bean is the same. You're literally proposing they trade away one of their only two young defensive prospects with a solid shot of being the kind of defensive player they need. You're also way overblowing the situation with Jiricek just like so many other people that want to bolster their faulty logic because they want the Jackets to do the stupid thing and trade him away.

LOL. Their goaltending is ATROCIOUS. Elvis is a disaster, Tarasov can hardly stay healthy and looks okayish when he manages to stay in the lineup, and Greaves has a grand total of 10 NHL games. You can't possibly be talking about the Blue Jackets if you think their goaltending "isn't an issue by any means".

The forward group is not fine. They have no centers capable of being a true 1C which has been the story of this team for forever. Could Fantilli be that guy? Sure. Is he that guy today? No. Sillinger is starting to look like a decent middle 6 guy again, but they need to see a lot more from him if he's going to be the 2C they need. Boone is a guy that, while productive on the top line, is frankly only producing at the level he is because he's playing 20+ mins a night. He should be getting pushed down the lineup into a 3rd line role, but good luck convincing the coaching staff that that's what's best for the team. Voronkov is another guy that might turn into a decent middle 6 option, but having three guys that fit best as 3C and one guy that maybe could possibly be a 1C in a few years is not a center group that gets you anywhere near the playoffs.

The wings might be ok? Gaudreau, given linemates that can play on his level, should be able to consistently be a point per game player for a few more years. Laine, given he comes back from the player assistance program, should be able to get back to 30-40g form. Chinakhov and Marchenko should have another level they can reach. KJ should be able to be a top 6 player if he can actually put some muscle mass on. After these guys they've got some prospects that could turn into solid parts of the roster.

The consistent theme through all this is the need for development all over and for players to work back up to the level they're expected to play at. Could this team turn into a playoff threat? Sure. What it will take though is for a lot of young guys to consistently improve and grow and for some of them to reach the top of their potential. That's simply not realistic though and some of them are going to bust. It's just the way things go. Until they start to have some of these guys mature and become legitimate top of the lineup players, there is zero reason they should be making dumb decisions like trading away potential core players that are of the same age as the rest of their developing roster for another winger that will cost them $11M+ to extend and who is a proven playoff dud.