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.
#CBJ D Ian Cole: “I’m excited by this. It’s been an interesting few days, but I’m happy - really happy - to be heading to Columbus.” Cole was told by Senators to remain in Pittsburgh after trade last week. They knew they were flipping him all along.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) February 26, 2018
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.
The #sens have now turned Phaneuf/Thompson/Brassard/Cole into...
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 26, 2018
2018 1st
2019 3rd
2020 3rd
Prospect Filip Gustavsson
Prospect Nick Moutrey
Marian Gaborik
Nick Shore
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