Will Columbus Trade Defenseman David Jiricek This Week or Keep Him?
All eyes are on Columbus, Ohio, and not just because of football. Time appears to be winding down for David Jiricek and the Columbus Blue Jackets. It appears his days are numbers with the organization.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet stated on Saturday Headlines that a resolution could be as early as this week.
Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines says that Blue Jackets General Manager Don Waddell will look to sort out the David Jiricek situation in the coming days. #cbj @FullPressNHL @myNHLTradeRumor
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) November 17, 2024
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal on Monday and reiterated the same thing: Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell would like to get a resolution to this situation sometime this week.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
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Host: And another player I want to ask you about since we saw Columbus at the Bell Center on Saturday is David Jiricek, who was drafted in the top 10 by Columbus in 2022. I mean, Dave, we know how hard it is to find a quality right-handed shot defenseman. The guy is 6’4″, over 210 pounds shoots right and was drafted in the top 10, but they sent him back to the AHL again, and there seems to be some friction between team and player, and we also know it’s a new management group. It’s not the same group that drafted this guy. What do you think the future is for Jiricek in Columbus?”
Dave Pagnotta: “I know Donnie Waddell has been taking calls on him, and kind of has been since camp now, obviously some conversations escalated in the last 72 – 96 hours because of their acquisition this season via waivers, or this week, this past week, with the addition of Dante Fabbro, also a right shot guy, and he scored the other night.
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So with how Columbus is in terms of their their rebuild process, it certainly sounds like like Waddell is willing to listen on the player. Now to what extent, I guess we’ll find out in the next little bit. They don’t want to leave this player hanging in terms of his development, either. So we should, I think, this week, have a clear indication as to what his future looks like, whether it’s with the Jackets organization or elsewhere.”
NHLRumors.com Note: David Jiricek has the potential to be a cornerstone piece, especially in the top four. Nashville is looking for a top-four defenseman. So are the Edmonton Oilers. It will be interesting to see how things develop over this week for Jiricek and the Blue Jackets.
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