[cbuscru77]

Ottawa is a team to watch this summer as a possible dance partner for the Blue Jackets. I spoke to four people today in Canada's capital and they all noted that the Blue Jackets need for a center and willingness to move a winger (Zherdev?) makes them a possibility for the Senators, who need help on the wing. The Sens have a lot of depth at center -- Vermette, Kelly, Fisher, Spezza are the top four, with youngsters on the way. On the wing, they've got Heatley and Alfredsson, an emerging player in Nick Foligno and ... that's about it. This could work. Stay tuned. And, remember, the draft is in Ottawa.
-- My guess is that if the Blue Jackets picked higher than No. 6, they might be able to make a trade before they get to the table on draft day. But, with the No. 6 to offer, other clubs are going to want to see what players drop to them. Most agree that this is a very rich draft, but they're still sorting the specifics out with their scouting departments. The defensemen will rule the day.
-- Coach Ken Hitchcock is off to Quebec City on Wednesday to begin preparations for the World Championships. It's confirmed the Blue Jackets will have five players in the Worlds. Nash, Leclaire and Chimera are on Team Canada; Jiri Novotny and Jan Hejda are on Team Czech Republic.
-- Nash is having a rough time recovering from tonsils surgery. He's doing fine, but this is a brutal surgery for an adult. If a hockey player is struggling with it, God help us all if we have to go through it. I'm hearing Nash could miss some early games in the Worlds while he continues to recover.

-Aaron Portzline
Columbus Dispatch

[ThrowinElbows]

Interesting.. Thanks for posting.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

I would not give up Zherdev...has to be another way to get a Center without giving up a young core player.