5 intriguing players under 24 who should be traded at the NHL trade deadline

A new outlook in Columbus means Adam Boqvist should end up elsewhere

What’s intriguing about organizations potentially shopping younger, less-established talent is that a contender looking to ‘buy’ at the trade deadline may not be interested in them. Instead, someone deemed as a ‘seller’ could take a chance on such young talent, and Adam Boqvist is one of those players. 

While he has barely logged anything higher than bottom-pairing minutes throughout his career, Boqvist is a blueliner who can provide a two-way game for a team that needs to add another young defenseman to their core. 

His 2023-24 season has been forgettable, with eight measly points in 28 games as of February 28th. But look at last year, when he scored 24 points in 46 contests, or the season before, when Boqvist appeared in 52 games, but racked up 22 points. 

Boqvist is also good on the power play, having logged nearly 200 minutes over his past 74 games since the 2022-23 season began. The Blue Jackets have scored 19 power play goals while he’s been on the ice, plus an on-ice scoring percentage of roughly 10.25.

While young, he’s somebody who can give a young organization an experienced blueliner, given his 202 games so far. Boqvist can also be a young leader since he’s faced quite a bit of adversity throughout his career. 

If an organization that has found itself well outside of the playoff race trades for Boqvist, don’t be surprised, because he could make for a great asset who they can sign to an extension next season.