Trading Places: A Summary of This Year's Trade Season

In the past week or so, Columbus has acquired several new faces in the locker room. They've gained defenseman Ian Cole, center Ryan Kujawinski, left wing Thomas Vanek, and center Mark Letestu.

The latest trade was Thomas Vanek of the Vancouver Canucks for forwards Jussi Jokinen and Tyler Motte.

The 34 year old veteran has a long history spanning seven different teams. He started with the Buffalo Sabres, moved to the Montreal Canadiens, went on to the New York Islanders, then it was Minnesota, Florida, Detroit, and then finally Vancouver before coming to Columbus. That gives him a grand total of 946 NHL games. He has registered a total of 738 points, 350 of which are goals and 388 are assists. Vanek has also racked up 513 penalty minutes. He's shown that he knows his stuff, and Club Manager Jarmo Kekalainen agrees:

"Scoring goals has been a challenge at times for our team this season, so we are pleased to add Thomas Vanek to our lineup. He has been a proven goal scorer in this league for many years, has been proficient on the power play, and we believe he can help our team in both of those areas."

Vanek's acquisition comes at the price of losing Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen. Motte, 22, was claimed by the Blue jackets after a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks over the summer. Chicago gave up Artemi Panarin and Motte in exchange for Brandon Saad. Motte played a total of 31 games with Columbus, tallying three goals and two assists.

Jussi Jokinen, 34, was picked up on waivers by the Jackets from the LA Kings. He played 14 games while in Columbus and went 0-1-1 with four penalty minutes. Between the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, LA Kings, and the Columbus Blue jackets, Jokinen has a grand total of 937 career games and has 187 goals and 553 assists.

The next latest addition is center Ryan Kujawinski, 22, from the Arizona Coyotes. Columbus acquired him after trading Jordan Maletta, and he has been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters. The young forward hasn't notched an NHL game yet, having spent all of his time in Arizona's affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, and previously New Jersey's minor league, the Binghamton Devils. He's played a total of 24 games between the two teams' minors.

Next up is Ian Cole. Cole, 29, was traded from Pittsburgh to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Then, a mere three days later, was picked up by the Jackets for center Nick Moutrey and a third round pick in the 2020 Draft. The veteran has a total of 385 career NHL games under his belt between St. Louis and Pittsburgh. Cole has 18 goals, 72 assists, and a staggering 332 penalty minutes. He played with the Blues from 2010 until midway through the 2014-2015 season when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Cole went on to help the Pens win two Stanley Cups. Kekalainen believes Cole will be a major improvement to the team:

"Ian Cole is a hard-working, competitive defenseman who we know very well having drafted him in St. Louis. He is a very good defender and a two-time Stanley Cup champion who can bring a lot of intangibles to our group."

And finally, as I reported last week, the Blue Jackets reacquired forward Mark Letestu from the Edmonton Oilers. He made his second debut with the team Monday night in a 5-1 win against the Washington Capitals. He scored the third goal of the night for Columbus.