Rumors about big forward Dmitri Voronkov have been around for a few weeks, and they don't seem to want to go away.
Apparently Voronkov was the player on the block when the Jackets were trying to land defenseman Noah Dobson in late June/early July, which shocked a lot of fans.
But even with free agency essentially over for the Jackets, that doesn't mean that Don Waddell isn't trying to make the roster better. But who is expendable? Apparently it's Dmitri Voronkov.
Looking at the roster, it's easy to see why he's the target. The Jackets have guys they clearly refuse to part with, and guys that may not fetch much in a trade. The one guy who fits the bill of a guy in the middle of those two groups? Dmitri Voronkov.
Recently, The Fourth Period reported that "Columbus wants to add an impact player and could continue to dangle Voronkov in a deal for a big piece." Voronkov seems to be the easy target to talk about.
Voronkov has played in 148 games for Columbus over the last two seasons and has 81 points. He has 41 goals, which include 14 power-play goals. Those 14 power-play goals lead the team in the two years he's been in Columbus.
As an added bonus, Voronkov just signed a two-year deal with an AAV of $4,175,000 per season, which makes him even more of an attractive trade target. A player with term, who is RFA in two years? Yes, please.
But what else does he bring to the table? The answer is size, but that's about it if we're being honest. He's not physical at all, which disappoints a lot of people. Imagine what he could do if he used his size to his advantage. He's also not one to be counted on to play defense, either.
Usually when there's smoke, there's fire, so if rumors of Dmitri Voronkov continue to float around, it's probably because he's being shopped in an attempt to upgrade the Blue Jackets roster, and Waddell probably thinks that Voronkov is the most expendable player on the current roster.
Who could Don Waddell be looking at though? We'll keep an eye on that and report it when we hear anything.
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