Former Columbus Blue Jackets blue liner David Jiricek is in a situation he is all too familiar with. He has been a healthy scratch for the last nine games for his new team, the Minnesota Wild.
The 21-year-old has missed the last nine games while his team is in the thick of a playoff race, which shows that he may not have been ready for the NHL regardless of which team he was with.
Now is a good time to look back on the trade that sent him to the Wild, which took place only four months ago, back in November.
The Wild sent Daemon Hunt, a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, third- and fourth-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the Blue Jackets for Jiricek and a fifth-round pick in 2025.
This was very tidy work by Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell, who was able to trade a defenseman who may not reach his potential for another young player in Hunt and four draft picks that will help restock talent at the AHL level.
It’ll be interesting to see how long the healthy scratch streak lasts and if the organization will think about sending him down to the AHL again this season or keep him sitting in the press box for the last stretch of games.
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