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Trade: Columbus adds blue line depth, acquires Ian Cole

Pittsburgh Penguins v Arizona Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 16: Ian Cole #28 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck during the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on December 16, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Penguins defeated the Coyotes 4-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Trade deadline day is here, and the first deal involves a guy who’s already been traded in the past couple of days.

The trade: Columbus Blue Jackets acquire defenseman Ian Cole for forward Nick Moutrey and a third-round draft pick.

Why the Blue Jackets are making this trade: A depth defenseman with Stanley Cup experience who offers a physical presence on the back end. Good puck-moving d-man. Cole also provides some insurance if the Blue Jackets trade fellow d-man Jack Johnson away. Additionally, he’s played in the Eastern Conference, he knows the landscape and if the Blue Jackets, who are sitting in the second wildcard in the Metropolitan Division, face the Pittsburgh Penguins potentially in the first round, there could be some value there for Columbus.

Bonus fact: Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen drafted Ian Cole when he was in St. Louis.

Why the Senators are making this trade: The Senators are all-in on selling off whatever they can as they look to rebuild. Pierre Dorion is putting in some work here and has gotten a nice haul for some of his players thus far. While the focus, at least over the past 72 hours, has centered around Erik Karlsson and his future, Dorion is making sure he maximizes what he can for the team’s other assets.

Who won this trade: The trade makes sense for both sides here. Ottawa was always going to flip Cole, and got a pick and a prospect for him after receiving him as part of the Derick Brassard trade on Friday.

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MORE: Pro Hockey Talk 2018 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker


Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck