Columbus Blue Jackets Should Not Trade for a Center

The Columbus Blue Jackets are reportedly on the market for a top-six center. As part of the unpopular opinion series, here’s why they shouldn’t be.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are reportedly on the market for a center. They could be a big buyer at the deadline, especially for someone who can put up points and has playoff experience. But they have four quality centers when healthy.

Instead of going after a center, the Blue Jackets should go after a left wing. That’s where they have some question marks.

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexander Wennberg

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The top six has two very young centers who both contribute to driving possession and to scoring. Alexander Wennberg has 16 points in 30 games, down from 59 points last season.

He’s been dealing with nagging injuries and an inability to keep consistent linemates. However. Wennberg is playing more than 18 minutes a night and has been able to drive possession consistently.

The same goes for Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has 18 points in 38 games. He contributes on the power play. The combination of Dubois and Josh Anderson has been magical all year, launching the latter to a career-year pace (he’s currently seven points away from his best).

It doesn’t hurt that when Artemi Panarin joined them, it created one of the best lines in hockey. They have a 61.6 percent shot share and have been used to drive offense.

But when Panarin joined, it created a void on the Wennberg line, one that hasn’t been adequately filled. Wennberg and Cam Atkinson remain a productive duo, but they need somebody to complete their own line. We’ll get to that.

Brandon Dubinsky, Lukas Sedlak, and Nick Foligno

The Columbus Blue Jackets have three players who can play center in their bottom six. If Nick Foligno is bumped off the second line permanently, he could be a great member of the third line. He’s taken plenty of faceoffs and can win them occasionally. Give him linemates like Matt Calvert and Boone Jenner and the Blue Jackets have a pretty solid third line.

Then, the fourth line becomes Brandon Dubinsky and Lukas Sedlak, both of whom can take faceoffs. When Dubinsky gets healthy, he’s a great fourth line center, one who can actually score, even as his defensive shift rate goes up. He’s the best faceoff man the Columbus Blue Jackets have, and he does everything he can to help the team win. That’s the kind of player you want on the bottom, defensive-heavy line.

Plus, Sedlak isn’t a bad fifth center. He has scored five points, including four goals while playing just 9:46 on average through 25 games. He’s drawn 50% of the faceoffs he’s taken, and that’s great for his position. Plus, he’s got more takeaways than giveaways. Sedlak has been really good defensively over the past two years, and again, he’s great in terms of depth in the middle. So this team doesn’t need to trade for a center, they just need to get healthy.

What the Columbus Blue Jackets Do Need

A top-six left wing. Atkinson and Wennberg are a great duo, but since Panarin was moved to the “PB&J” line, they’ve been missing something. Getting a left wing who can complement the duo will be important at the deadline, more important than getting a center.

Players who could be available include Evander Kane, James Neal, James van Riemsdyk, and David Perron. Evander Kane is for sure available and has 34 points in 37 games on a lackluster Buffalo Sabres team. His shooting percentage is below his total last season, meaning he could score more goals as the season goes on.

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He could be a fit for Columbus, especially with his ability to score in every aspect. Kane has three shorthanded goals and two power-play goals this season. I think Kane is somebody the Blue Jackets should go after hard, and he will cost less than players on contending teams like Neal and Perron.

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