Report: Blue Jackets reach deal with Vegas to protect players

With the NHL Draft right around the corner, HC’s Daren Millard and Doug MacLean discuss the difficulty of trading up, specifically the Vegas Golden Knights chances of landing the #1 pick and Nolan Patrick.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have a trade in place with the Vegas Golden Knights that will be announced at the NHL Expansion Draft on Wednesday, according to Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.

The Blue Jackets are expected to give Vegas the 24th-overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, and a prospect in return for Golden Knights GM George McPhee selecting one of Ryan Murray, Matt Calvert, or William Karlsson.

Portzline did say that the prospect being sent to Vegas would not be Sonny Milano or Pierre Luc-Dubois and that the injured David Clarkson may also be sent to Vegas in the trade.

From Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s perspective, this would keep McPhee’s hands off of promising young talents Josh Anderson (who scored 17 goals as a 23-year-old last season), and Joonas Korpisalo (signed to an extension on June 9).

The deal will also keep veteran defencemen David Savard and Jack Johnson on the Blue Jackets’ blue line, as the team looks to build on its franchise-best performance in 2016-17.

The Golden Knights on the other hand, can continue to stockpile picks and prospects from teams afraid of getting a potential core piece poached.

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