Before the new NHL season began, a rumor suggested the Columbus Blue Jackets wanted to trade a defenseman. The rumor resurfaced this week.

The 2023-24 NHL season started just over two weeks ago, but the Columbus Blue Jackets have reportedly been busy in the trade market.

On Oct. 10, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported sources claiming the Jackets were engaged in trade dialogue with teams in the days before the start of the season. They attempted to move a defenseman to garner what Seravalli called “more flexibility” on the blueline.

Seravalli wrote the Jackets were open to different possibilities. He suggested Adam Boqvist, Jake Bean and (to a lesser extent) Andrew Peeke as trade candidates.

That prompted speculation on our part suggesting a deal with the Vancouver Canucks for Conor Garland. The Canucks granted the 27-year-old winger permission to speak with other clubs. We felt that a right-shot rearguard like Boqvist could be enticing to the Canucks given their blueline needs. So far, however, there's no indication such a deal will come to pass.

The Athletic's Aaron Portzline followed up on Oct. 22 by indicating Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was still working the phones trying to peddle a blueliner.

Portzline pointed out the Jackets were carrying eight defensemen. Boqvist and Peeke have been healthy scratches in recent games as promising David Jiricek has settled in on their second pairing alongside Ivan Provorov. Jiricek is the only one who doesn't need to clear waivers to be sent to their AHL affiliate in Cleveland.

Salary cap constraints could be holding up a trade. With most teams carrying little or no cap room, it could be difficult to find a club to take on Boqvist's $2.6-million cap hit through 2024-25 or Peeke's $2.75 million through 2025-26.