Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen Talks Trade Deadline
Jeff Svoboda of Bluejackets.com: The Columbus Blue Jackets became a focus of the trade deadline before the season even began. That is because Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky become UFA’s on July 1. Kekalainen answers the question everyone is asking.
“They’re obviously two very talented players, two guys that have been a big part of our success, so that makes it a little bit more intriguing from the outside and people are curious to see how all of this is going to play out.
“But we will do what we need to do, do our best to convince them that they’d like to be part of our future for a long time as a Blue Jacket in Columbus, and if that doesn’t happen, then we’re going to have to make decisions. That’s what we’ve said all along. I don’t think there’s anything tricky about it. You just try to handle it professionally, with class, as we always do, and if we have to make hard decisions, we’ll make them.”
Again, the general manager maintains the team core is solid no matter what happens. Columbus was a 108 point team before Artemi Panarin. Furthermore, Joonas Korpisalo showed that life without Sergei Bobrovsky was not all bad.
More on Sergei Bobrovsky
Craig Merz of NHL.com: Bobrovsky dropped hints from early on that he may not sign a contract in Columbus. This season shows that Columbus can survive without the two time Vezina Trophy winner. The goalie posted a 2.94 GAA and .902 save percentage in 32 starts (19-13-1 record). It is not exactly how a contract year should go but Bobrovsky struggled mightily out of the gate.
Sergei Bobrovsky disciplined for a separate incident is not surprising. His time in Philadelphia was volatile at times. The bottom line is he will not discuss rumors. The Athletic reported that Bobrovsky gave Columbus a list of teams he would be willing to go to.
“I’m not going to comment on it now,”
Again, that is all Sergei Bobrovsky needed to say. The trade deadline is February 25th. Whether he is traded at that time is anyone’s guess.