We are almost one quarter into the hockey season. For many teams, they’re looking at their roster and wondering who to keep or trade, who to add and who to subtract. Sometimes you’re watching games and wondering who your team is scouting and which team is scouting yours to try to make an offer. For the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets, their scouts have been at each other’s games even though those teams have already played twice and have one more left with them this season on the 21st.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has been hinting for a while he wanted to find a forward upgrade. He even repeated it as recently as last month after the Nicklas Backstrom news.
They are apparently watching the Blue Jackets closely according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on his 32 Thoughts podcast:
"This Columbus thing is pretty interesting. I don’t think Edmonton is the only team that’s been around them. I don’t think that they’re the only team that’s been around Columbus a little bit. I think Washington has been around them. I think Vegas has been around them. There’s some teams looking at it."
Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch has added the Blue Jackets have had personnel at each stop of their recent five game west coast road trip. Their best player in Patrik Laine might be available as in their game against the Philadelphia Flyers, he was healthy scratched. He was not happy about it.
Apparently, the #CBJ have been at all stops of the #ALLCAPS trip out West, including LA and Anaheim before Vegas tonight.
— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) December 3, 2023
Laine has seven points this season with five goals and two assists, bit of a slow start. Last season he recorded 52 points with 22 goals and 30 assists in 55 games. He signed a contract extension in July of 2022.
The Blue Jackets are in dead last in the Metropolitan Division with 21 points, five points behind the Capitals who sit in fifth after two straight losses. It could be interesting to see if a move gets made as the situation up there is bad.