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. 

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story. 

Former Monster Jake Gaudet Signs In Europe Former Cleveland Monsters center Jake Gaudet has signed with the Belfast Giants of the EIHL. The signing was made official today by the Giants.

On This Date In Columbus Blue Jackets History: The Blue Jackets Swap Cam Atkinson For Jake Voráček On July 24th, 2021, there was a trade that absolutely no one saw coming: Cam Atkinson was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jake Voráček .

Key Dates To Watch In Blue Jackets' 2025-26 Schedule The 2025-26 season schedule was released almost two weeks ago, and since then fans around the league have had the chance to circle what they deem important dates. For the Columbus Blue Jackets, there is a lot of hype surrounding this team after the season they had last year. They were one of the league’s biggest surprises, which had just about everyone around the hockey world cheering for them. Now, they are set to do the same, but this year punch their ticket to the 2026 NHL playoffs. But first, there are some key matchups that Blue Jackets fans should have circled, so let’s go over them.