Report: Blue Jackets Looking to Trade Up at 2026 NHL Draft

Every insider in hockey has stated this summer is going to be the summer of trades, and don't be surprised to see the Columbus Blue Jackets get into the action at next month's NHL Draft in Buffalo.

The Blue Jackets came on strong to finish last season after their coaching change, but unfortunately, fell a little short of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a fresh perspective heading into the offseason, there's been plenty of reports that Columbus is a team to watch at the draft, as they're going to be aggressive on the trade market.

Daily Faceoff's prospect guru Steven Ellis was a recent guest on Daily Faceoff Live, and opened up about the Blue Jackets on the draft-day trade market:

Steven Ellis: I think a team that wants to make a splash and be competitive sooner rather than later, and I think one team that I would watch is the Columbus Blue Jackets. They got the No. 14 pick. Team picking there, you’d think they’d be a bit more competitive, and then their pipeline would be good, but honestly, their pipeline’s not that great. Let’s not forget, Kent Johnson hasn’t been the player I think a lot of people expected him to be. They already moved on from David Jiricek. They’ve got some holes to fill out there.

Obviously, Jet Greaves was that No. 1 goalie. Do they want to get some extra goaltending depth? I think they addressed that last year, but you could always use a bit more goalie depth. Could they go out there and use a bit more offensive weapons? 100%. So at 14, I don’t think you’re getting a guy that’s going to really move the needle in a big way. I think that’s something where if they could find a way to move up, if it’s 14 and Kent Johnson to get into the top 10, I think that’s at least an intriguing starting point.

Keep an eye on the Blue Jackets as they have some trade assets that will appeal to other teams, and with how the draft lottery transpired, there's going to be lots of movement in the first round, and Columbus is very likely going to be involved. 

Photo credit:  Brad Penner-Imagn Images