Blue Jackets' Voronkov Named As Trade Target For 2 Teams

Dmitri Voronkov had a nice breakout season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, finishing tied for fourth on the team in goals with 23, sixth in points with 47, and playing a top-6 role. After just re-signing for two years at $4.175 million AAV, he is listed as a trade candidate by David Pagnotta.

While this makes sense in the way that the Blue Jackets have some talented, young players on the way and others who can fill roster spots, he is also only 25 years old, improved from his first to second season, and found chemistry in the top-6. Columbus isn't pressed for cap space right now either, but maybe that's a concern for the future or they're looking to capitalize on his strong season if the team sees something in his game that they might not like for the long haul. According to the insider Pagnotta, these are the two teams who have been linked to Voronkov.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders don't have a ton of cap space, but they are looking to bounce back and get back into the playoffs. There have been a number of interesting moves by them, but if they can stay healthy and potentially add someone like Voronkov, who will bring offense, then the team has a shot at being much more competitive again.

Goal-scorers like Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri are in their mid-30s and also only have 1-2 years left on their contracts. Future replacements for those roles in Viktor Eklund and Cole Eiserman aren't yet ready, so a more immediate integration into the lineup could do the team good. Between Jonathan Drouin, Mat Barzal, and Anthony Duclair's health, there will need to be more firepower in the lineup.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are still on the hunt to finally return to the playoffs and have the cap space to do much more this offseason. Bowen Byram remains a trade candidate, even after signing and Columbus was interested at one point. Whether that changed or not doesn't mean Voronkov can't still be a target for the Sabres.

Buffalo's forward group could absolutely still use some work and Voronkov would fit nicely on the second or third line, pushing Jordan Greenway down and Beck Malenstyn or Justin Danforth out of the everyday lineup. Right now, I could see Buffalo as a more suitable destination for Voronkov than the Islanders, but New York could definitely use the help.