1 player the Blue Jackets must trade before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The The Columbus Blue Jackets are close to a playoff spot as the NHL prepares to return to action. Team USA won gold in Milan on Sunday morning, and the league’s trade freeze has now been lifted. As a result, trade season is back on the menu. And upcoming games for the Blue Jackets could determine their course of action on March 6.

The Blue Jackets were one of the worst teams in the NHL the longest. however, they fired head coach Dean Evason and brought in retired veteran Rick Bones to coach the rest of the season. Under Bones, Columbus has won 10 of its last 11 games and is now the top non-playoff team in the East in points.

Columbus is far from comfortable in its postseason contention. For starters, the Blue Jackets are still four points behind the Boston Bruins. Furthermore, there are several teams hot on their tails trying to make their way into the highly competitive Eastern Conference.

The Blue Jackets have to figure out if they’re going to accept that or if they want to play it safe. However, whatever they choose, there is one veteran on this roster that should be traded. Switching to the highest value could be a very useful decision down the road.

The Blue Jackets’ Charlie Coyle is currently the top trade candidate

The Columbus Blue Jackets traded for Charlie Coyle in a deal with the Colorado Avalanche this summer. The move made a lot of sense at the time. Colorado needed room to work in the offseason. And Columbus needed depth in the middle.

Suffice it to say that the trade has been successful so far. Coile is one of Columbus’ best offensive players this season. He has 15 goals and 42 points in 56 games. This works out to an 82 game pace of 22 goals and 62 points.

If he continues at this pace, it would be one of the best offensive seasons of his career. Coile is an extremely important player for this team, and he was especially strong in 5v5. In fact, Coile has the highest field goal percentage of any Blue Jackets forward who has played at least 25 games, according to Evolving Hockey.

Coile is also a very solid defender. He will allow his fair share of shot attempts when he is on the ice. However, he is good at preventing goals. His 92.75% on-ice save percentage is third best among Columbus forwards at 5v5 this season.

Given all of this, why would the Blue Jackets trade him? Coile sounds like a player they should hold on to. Keep him, ride this thing out and see what happens in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, there are some factors that would make a Coil trade make sense.

Coile is a great player, but not a long-term option at 33 years old. What’s more, the veteran is turning is a free agent this summer. He is still unsigned, and his play this year will certainly allow him to do well financially in a somewhat thin NHL free agency pool.

The Blue Jackets are not a definite contender for the postseason. If they drop some games after the break, it would make sense to trade Coile for the best return. This gives Columbus great value for a player they would lose in the summer. And that would allow the team to reassess where it stands and potentially use the proceeds of the Coil trade to make a splash to help its 2026 efforts.