Confirmed Trade: [MIN/CBJ] David Jiricek, 2025 5th round pick for Daemon Hunt, 2025 1st round pick, 2027 2nd round pick, 2026 3rd and 4th round picks

[BuiumSaveUs]

The amount of cope from CBJ fans about a kid who scored 40 points in 55 games in the AHL as a 19yo defenseman is unreal. He turned 21 a couple days ago. He’s got some refinement in that needs to happen no doubt but you don’t trade for a guy with his traits that often.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

This is such an unfounded statement.

Columbus got an excellent haul for a prospect with obvious issues. It is the kind of haul that is paid for an elite prospect so the only way Columbus regrets this is if 1) Jiricek becomes a legitimate star-level #1 defenseman; 2) Hunt doesn't pan out into anything at all; 3) they believe he could have become that star in Columbus organization (which the trade showed they do not believe anymore). If one of those 3 conditions isn't fulfilled, Columbus is absolutely fine with what they did.

And the time frame is so narrow on these things. When red flags appear (like they have with Jiricek) prospects value sinks rapidly. Look at Holtz's situation, 3 seasons after his draft nobody was willing to offer anything of value for him and eventually, he was traded for scraps. Jackets seized the perfect opportunity to get pretty much ALL the value you can reasonably expect back.

And the examples are ample. Holtz is one, Turcotte is another. Zadina. People always expect prospects to turn into something a draft guide told them they would 2-3 years ago but don't realize that if the player isn't progressing at an acceptable rate they are left with nothing once the hype wears off. Yes, there are miracle cases like Nichushkin but sitting and waiting for that miracle to happen is a much bigger risk than getting 5 asset return.

As I said draft picks are great but you actually have to do something with them, they don't matter if you miss.

 

[centipede2233]

I like it for minny for the sole fact Jiricek is a RD. RD top pairing are extremely hard to come by, unless your trading with yzerman

 

[thestonedkoala]

The picks are also spread out, which helps Minnesota. They lose only a 1st this year, and a third and fourth next year. More than likely they will recover one or two picks in the next few years.

Minnesota also has an abundance of low floor, low ceiling type guys and most of their defense is signed for 3+ years.

This is the type of trade you do when you are comfortable with the prospects you have coming into the organization AND don't have enough room to develop them.

In the next few years Minnesota will have Buium, Yurov, Heidt, Lorenz, Kumps, Stramel, Ryder all making the jump. So not a huge loss for them.

Again I don't see a big loss for Minnesota or for Columbus at this point. Minnesota got a massive boom or bust prospect they wouldn't have gotten in the last half of the 1st round. Columbus gets a lot of ammo to continue rebuilding their organization.

Edit: Let's do an experiment:

1) What highly skilled, but with warts right-handed defenseman that is fairly young (19-21) is available to trade for the package Minnesota gave?

2) What WOULD have been a fair offer to Jiricek? Mind you, I think Hunt has a 2nd/3rd round grade on him.

3) Let's say Minnesota ends up 4th in their division, regress to the means you know? That means they would get a pick around what Nashville picked last year:

Would you trade Hunt + Surin + Stiga + Marques + Montgomery for Jiricek and Vuolett? Personally, I would.

Hell let's do all draft picks for Minnesota: Stramel + Kumps + Bankier + Masters + Hunt? I'd do that trade in a heart beat.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

The picks are also spread out, which helps Minnesota. They lose only a 1st this year, and a third and fourth next year. More than likely they will recover one or two picks in the next few years.

Minnesota also has an abundance of low floor, low ceiling type guys and most of their defense is signed for 3+ years.

This is the type of trade you do when you are comfortable with the prospects you have coming into the organization AND don't have enough room to develop them.

In the next few years Minnesota will have Buium, Yurov, Heidt, Lorenz, Kumps, Stramel, Ryder all making the jump. So not a huge loss for them.

Again I don't see a big loss for Minnesota or for Columbus at this point. Minnesota got a massive boom or bust prospect they wouldn't have gotten in the last half of the 1st round. Columbus gets a lot of ammo to continue rebuilding their organization.

Edit: Let's do an experiment:

1) What highly skilled, but with warts right-handed defenseman that is fairly young (19-21) is available to trade for the package Minnesota gave?

2) What WOULD have been a fair offer to Jiricek? Mind you, I think Hunt has a 2nd/3rd round grade on him.

3) Let's say Minnesota ends up 4th in their division, regress to the means you know? That means they would get a pick around what Nashville picked last year:

Would you trade Hunt + Surin + Stiga + Marques + Montgomery for Jiricek and Vuolett? Personally, I would.

Hell let's do all draft picks for Minnesota: Stramel + Kumps + Bankier + Masters + Hunt? I'd do that trade in a heart beat.

Good post. Everyone seems to be all or nothing on this. There's nothing wrong with saying Jiricek might not be the player we thought but also it's well worth the risk for Minnesota. They're set up real nice. This is the exact type of team thats comfortable enough to make this move.

 

[BagHead]

The amount of cope from CBJ fans about a kid who scored 40 points in 55 games in the AHL as a 19yo defenseman is unreal. He turned 21 a couple days ago. He’s got some refinement in that needs to happen no doubt but you don’t trade for a guy with his traits that often.

I think that goes both ways, as it usually does in these trade threads. Some Wild fans talk down about the guy before the trade, then praise him once the trade happens. Some Blue Jackets fans do the opposite, or praise their own return. It's all word a game, and a futile one at that because the facts haven't changed:

He's a wonderful AHLer who needs to improve his skating to be a full-time NHLer, and if he does that to a large enough degree, he'll be a wonderful NHLer, too.

 

[ThatGuy22]

I didn’t mean in the next couple of years. Surely the bridges will be utilized if needed. Meant moreso going forward after that. I guess you operate under the assumption of paying who is most worthy anyways and it’ll shake itself out.

I’d venture to guess it will workout fine. And the rising cap will certainly help relieve that. I think a lot of it falls on where Kaprisov signs at cap wise. I’d venture to guess he’ll be upwards of 11m.

Boldy and Faber signing when they did definitely helps.

add 3 or 4 million to that.

 

[Drumman44]

Have to hand it to Minny on this one. Not looking forward for 10 years of Brock Faber and Jirieck on the right side.

 

[57special]

Is Turcotte fine? Is Holtz fine? Is Kravtsov fine, etc.? Jiricek was always good to great at the AHL level and always not good enough to play in the NHL. This is the 3rd season for him in this limbo. When the casual fandom starts considering the fact that maybe he isn't going to be fine?

Furthermore, as my earlier examples show, by the time casual fandom starts considering it there isn't a single NHL team willing to give up anything of value for the "talent level" of those prospects.

You could add Lias Andersson to the list.

Again, this deal seems to be fair, but we won't really know for a good 4-5 years, if not more. That 2nd rounder could end up being the next Brock Faber, then MN will be the idiots.

 

[Hobnobs]

Is Turcotte fine? Is Holtz fine? Is Kravtsov fine, etc.? Jiricek was always good to great at the AHL level and always not good enough to play in the NHL. This is the 3rd season for him in this limbo. When the casual fandom starts considering the fact that maybe he isn't going to be fine?

Furthermore, as my earlier examples show, by the time casual fandom starts considering it there isn't a single NHL team willing to give up anything of value for the "talent level" of those prospects.

All forwards. Usually defensemen take a longer time to break out. Jiricek could very well be a bust but comparing him to high-drafted forwards that didn't pan out is not helping your argument at all.

 

[SwedishFire]

Whats a Damean Hunt? This is not good

Remember mailer Deamean from hotmail?

 

[Fatass]

All forwards. Usually defensemen take a longer time to break out. Jiricek could very well be a bust but comparing him to high-drafted forwards that didn't pan out is not helping your argument at all.

Cam Barker, Olli Juiolevi come to mind as high drafted D who didn’t pan out. It happens. But Juricek has runway left.

 

[BagHead]

Remember mailer Deamean from hotmail?

I got deameaned all the time over Hotmail. I paid for the privilege.

But joking over a silly spelling error aside, Daemon is sadly not pronounced the same as "mail daemon". Instead of Dee-mon, it's Day-mon. I still privately call him Demon Hunt,. though. Just because his parents missed the opportunity doesn't mean I have to.


BTW, are any Jackets fans able to clue me into what Jiricek's abilities outside of his skating are like? I know of his shot, but I'm not as in-touch with his playmaking and, for lack of a better term, hockey IQ.

 

[SoundAndFury]

All forwards. Usually defensemen take a longer time to break out. Jiricek could very well be a bust but comparing him to high-drafted forwards that didn't pan out is not helping your argument at all.

I just took the most recent and best-known examples.. Partially because you need to give the defensemen more time so examples of those who clearly busting might seem old and in general, obviously many more forwards are being drafted in the top-10 of the draft.

Furthermore, I don't really see how it makes a difference. Are we acting like someone like Juolevi doesn't exist? Especially since his and Jiricek's main flaws seem to be very similar. Haydn Fleury?

Players I listed meant to illustrate that struggling prospects lost their value rapidly. I don't really understand how giving forwards or defensemen as an example changes things. Other than there might be some truth that people are willing to give the defensemen more time which might be exactly the reason why Jiricek brought the return he did.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

BTW, are any Jackets fans able to clue me into what Jiricek's abilities outside of his skating are like? I know of his shot, but I'm not as in-touch with his playmaking and, for lack of a better term, hockey IQ.

It's hopefully coachable, but his hockey IQ is atrocious. His decisions on when to pinch up are the worst I've seen probably. He's big but doesn't play physical at all. Bad passes all over the place.

He didn't get a chance to show a ton in the NHL because he was just a major liability. He could use some real seasoning but he doesn't think he needs it. Maybe the change of scenery does it for him.

 

[Viqsi]

It's hopefully coachable, but his hockey IQ is atrocious. His decisions on when to pinch up are the worst I've seen probably. He's big but doesn't play physical at all. Bad passes all over the place.

He didn't get a chance to show a ton in the NHL because he was just a major liability. He could use some real seasoning but he doesn't think he needs it. Maybe the change of scenery does it for him.

I legit believe his reads are better than he's practically shown simply because he's trying to use those to compensate for his mobility rather than actually dealing with the issues directly - i.e. he's holding himself back.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

I legit believe his reads are better than he's practically shown simply because he's trying to use those to compensate for his mobility rather than actually dealing with the issues directly - i.e. he's holding himself back.

It could absolutely be that. Maybe he just needs to fix one thing to open the floodgates. Always circles back to the fact that he needs to want to get better.

 

[10YearsAfter]

The amount of cope from CBJ fans about a kid who scored 40 points in 55 games in the AHL as a 19yo defenseman is unreal. He turned 21 a couple days ago. He’s got some refinement in that needs to happen no doubt but you don’t trade for a guy with his traits that often.

Can't fix (lack of) hockey sense

 

[thestonedkoala]

Someone on the Wild board mentioned this is a similar situation to El Nino and I can see it.

 

[BuiumSaveUs]

Can't fix (lack of) hockey sense

You can’t? Players have never improved that over time?

 

[thestonedkoala]

You can’t? Players have never improved that over time?

He does have a point...Lambos comes to mind about lack of hockey sense that has actually gotten worse.

 

[BagHead]

It's hopefully coachable, but his hockey IQ is atrocious. His decisions on when to pinch up are the worst I've seen probably. He's big but doesn't play physical at all. Bad passes all over the place.

He didn't get a chance to show a ton in the NHL because he was just a major liability. He could use some real seasoning but he doesn't think he needs it. Maybe the change of scenery does it for him.

That's not really what I was hoping to hear, but thanks for responding. My hope is that Viqsi is right, because I've seen a lack of vision and hockey-sense ruin otherwise great players. Cam Barker's name has come up a couple times, and that's what did him in, IMO.

 

[CBJx614]

The amount of cope from CBJ fans about a kid who scored 40 points in 55 games in the AHL as a 19yo defenseman is unreal. He turned 21 a couple days ago. He’s got some refinement in that needs to happen no doubt but you don’t trade for a guy with his traits that often.

You don't think GMDW doesn't know that, or a guy like Rick Nash doesn't know that? Especially when one of the biggest weaknesses on the roster is RD?

If theyve has in the system for a few years and they are looking to move on from him you have to stop and wonder why.

 

[ClydeLee]

You don't think GMDW doesn't know that, or a guy like Rick Nash doesn't know that? Especially when one of the biggest weaknesses on the roster is RD?

If theyve has in the system for a few years and they are looking to move on from him you have to stop and wonder why.

But numerous cbj fans were here saying there's no issue, him sitting over 10 games is totally normal, the trade talk is unfounded he willingly went to the ahl.

None of that was the reality. If they thought he needed to improve, why wasn't in Cleveland all year? Because it seems like he refused to. To me it reads more like an attitude issue than them thinking he isn't going to be good enough longterm.

 

[CBJx614]

But numerous cbj fans were here saying there's no issue, him sitting over 10 games is totally normal, the trade talk is unfounded he willingly went to the ahl.

None of that was the reality. If they thought he needed to improve, why wasn't in Cleveland all year? Because it seems like he refused to. To me it reads more like an attitude issue than them thinking he isn't going to be good enough longterm.

But that's one in the same thing, if CBJ says he's you're good, but there's some things you need to go back to Cleveland and work on if you're gonna make it in the NHL and he's telling you, no I think I'm good enough now...well he's hampering his own progression and therefore won't be a good enough player long term.


Obviously we don't know exactly what happened, there's been 0 reports on attitude or anything being an issue. It could be that maybe they just think he's not going to be a fit in the system. They want guys who can step up, get back and play a physical game. Jiricek is the furthest thing from physical, which is a shame because he has the frame for it.