There's been no confirmation that the Columbus Blue Jackets want to trade center Ryan Johansen. Then again, why would there be? The Blue Jackets and GM Jarmo Kekalainen, should they pull off a deal involving Johansen, would likely do their best to keep it under wraps until the moment the trade is consummated. So until that time, we've got nothing to go on but the actions of the organization - they made Johansen a healthy scratch on Thursday - conjecture - the Canadiens, Predators and, well, most of the league would probably be interested - as well as rumors and reports - which have sprung forth in great numbers in recent days - from media members in and around the NHL and the Columbus organization.
One such media member, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, appeared on Toronto's TSN 590 on Thursday afternoon and revealed some interesting tidbits regarding Johansen and the lack of trust the franchise has in their No. 1 center. As part of that report, Friedman ran through a quick list of teams he believes could potentially be interested in acquiring Johansen, though mostly it amounted to assumptions based on roster structure and need.
But when Friedman got to the St. Louis Blues, he had something to say that would probably be of particular interest to Blues fans. The Blues and GM Doug Armstong, per Friedman, have scouted Johansen "quite heavily." Now, that doesn't mean a deal is forthcoming of course. It doesn't even mean they've scouted him recently. But it's interesting to note that a team like the Blues, desperate to get over the hump and right the recent wrongs that have plagued the franchise in the playoffs in the past several years, are sniffing around an elite forward that, were he to land in St. Louis, would upgrade their forward corps immensely.
With a deep defensive group that has seemingly put them in strong trade position thanks to an NHL desperate for blueline upgrades, acquiring Johansen may not really be all that difficult for St. Louis. Carl Gunnarsson was said to be drawing ample trade interest earlier this season. And Kevin Shattenkirk's name has popped up in the past. Of course, it's unlikely the Blues would want to part ways with Shattenkirk considering the 2015-16 season he's put together, but it's not out of the question, especially with Colton Parayko playing so well.
Johansen, despite his recent issues regarding conditioning and reports of his lack of preparedness on a night in, night out basis, would take a strong St. Louis forward corps and make it nearly unstoppable. Money wouldn't be an issue - according to General Fanager, the Blues have just over $2.5 million in cap space at this point and Johansen's current deal carries just a $4 million cap hit for this season and next.
Considering at least one roster player and maybe more would be involved in any deal - Gunnarsson's cap hit is $2.95 million, for instance - there's no issue there. And considering Paul Stastny is already in place as the clear-cut No. 1, it could pave the way for Johansen to slot in as a talented No. 2 or, perhaps more accurately, No. 1A, which could prove especially important since David Backes will be a free agent at the end of the year.
The only issues at this point would be the level of compensation sought by Columbus, and whether or not Armstrong and head coach Ken Hitchcock can determine that effort won't be an issue for Johansen going forward. That being said, Johansen's current struggles could actually work in the Blue Jackets' favor, creating urgency for Kekalainen to move Johansen and decreasing his overall trade value.
There remain a lot of "ifs" and "coulds" to this situation, but there's no denying how good Johansen would look on the Blues roster. Making a deal work won't be easy, but if Columbus decides to part ways with Johansen, St. Louis may very well come calling.
