Yesterday, one of the Columbus Blue Jackets' trade targets, Gustav Nyquist, was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Minnesota Wild.

BREAKING: Gustav Nyquist returns to Wild following Predators trade The Nashville Predators have traded veteran winger Gustav Nyquist back to the Minnesota Wild, retaining 50% of his salary in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, the Predators announced Saturday afternoon.

This will force the Blue Jackets to pivot to other trade targets who are on the trading block ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.

It is important to keep in mind that Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell doesn't want to sell the future to improve the roster, which means they will be targeting less expensive depth players.

A few names that make sense are:

Jake Evans - Montreal Canadiens
Ryan Donato - Chicago Blackhawks
Nick Bjugstad - Utah Hockey Club
Trent Frederic - Boston Bruins

If Waddell was willing to part with a few draft picks or a better prospect, they could target Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Blue Jackets' front office has only five days left to decide who they want to bring in to help improve the team. While there is still a chance that they don’t do anything and instead see how the team performs, they will likely make a small move or two to help push them into the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Columbus Blue Jackets Stadium Series Game: Game/Event Reactions A little over a year ago, when THN Columbus was told by sources that the 2025 Stadium Series Game was officially going to be held at Ohio Stadium, we had doubts, even though everything we were told was rock solid. After several weeks of debating whether to release the info, we felt it was time. Ohio Stadium was going to be hosting a 2025 NHL Stadium Series game to be played between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings on March 1st, 2025. 

Blue Jackets Need To Pivot To Other Trade Targets After Gustav Nyquist Trade