Ryan Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets staggered their way through a protracted contract dispute this offseason that bled into the regular season and left quite a bit of negative feelings between team and player reverberating across the NHL landscape.
The Edmonton Oilers just recently made a coaching change after stumbling to the NHL standings basement through the first quarter of the season, thanks in large part to a tattered and torn locker room culture that some in recent days have pinned at least partially on young superstar, Taylor Hall.
Could the two sides do the seemingly unthinkable and swap their inscrutable potential franchise building blocks?
"Most teams aren't inclined to move big, highly skilled centers, but Jarmo Kekalainen is no ordinary GM," writes Alan Muir of SI.com of the Columbus general manager. "He's not gunshy when it comes to moving problems (Marian Gaborik) and he's always got his eye on the future. If he feels that Johansen - who dragged out his recent contract talks into the new season - will be unsignable as an unrestricted free agent after his new three-year deal expires, he might be inclined to make a bold move of his own. He has the courage of his convictions and some depth at the position to soften the loss. It could happen."
Johansen is only 22 and last season showed signs of becoming a true superstar. He's 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds of hockey skill who skates like a much smaller man.
The Oilers have long been interested in adding a strong centerman behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Why not add one with all the attributes Johansen boasts?
Columbus is also one of the few teams in the league with the center depth - Brandon Dubisnky, Boone Jenner and Artem Anisimov - to withstand such a transaction.
"The key thing to note is that Johansen is four years away from unrestricted free agency, and just went through an extraordinarily fractious negotiation process with the Blue Jackets," writes Thomas Drance of TheScore.com. "The two sides finally agreed on a three-year deal, but it's as close to a 'just walk me to unrestricted free agency, I want out'-type bridge deal as you're likely to find.
"If Johansen executes that plan, he'd be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018, at the age of 26."
That would give the Oilers four years to determine Johansen's future and a significant cushion to get a long-term deal done should they deem him the true franchise centerman they've endlessly yearned for.
