The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Matt Duchene and Julius Bergman from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Jonathan Davidsson, Vitaly Abramov, a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and a conditional first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
The 2019 pick is top-three protected, while the 2020 pick is dependent on Duchene re-signing in Columbus.
Bergman, 23, scored six points in 33 games for the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League. Â The second-round pick (No. 46) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2014 NHL Draft was traded to the Senators on June 19, 2018.
Abramov, a 20-year-old forward, was selected in the third round (No. 65) of the 2016 NHL Draft. He has 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 52 games with Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League.
Davidsson, a 21-year-old forward, was chosen in the sixth round (No. 170) of the 2017 draft. He has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) with Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League.
Duchene, 28, had been one of the top trade baits for this year’s trade deadline. The Senators pulled Duchene and Mark Stone out of the line-up on Thursday’s loss against the New Jersey Devils.
Both players were on a lot of teams’ radars when that announcement was made. With only 23 games left in the season, the Blue Jackets will only have to use $1,419,255 of cap space with Duchene on the roster. During the season, Duchene wasn’t ready to sign an eight-year, $65 million deal with the Senators earlier in the season.
Selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round (No. 3) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Duchene has 535 points (228 goals, 307 assists) in 704 regular-season games and six assists in eight playoff games.
Last season, Ottawa acquired Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Kyle Turris, Shane Bowers (rights), 2019 first-round pick, and a 2019 third-round pick. This season, Duchene scored 27 goals and 31 assists in 50 games. Duchene, whose deal expires after this season, has posted 27 goals and 31 assists in 50 games with the Senators this season.
The Blue Jackets are expected to put Duchene in the lineup tonight against his now former-team the Ottawa Senators. Duchene is a great rental for the Blue Jackets. It can convince Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky to stay in Columbus for a deep playoff run. This blockbuster trade definitely changes the market for the trade deadline. The deadline ends on Feb. 25.
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