The question in the headline has been weighing on me for the last month or so, and finally became worthy of an article when Ryan Dzingel was made a healthy scratch for Game 2 of this series against the Boston Bruins in favor of Alex Wennberg.
Dzingel was considered an important acquisition for Jarmo Kekalainen and the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline, but has this deal been a failure?
First, let’s look at a stat comparison. This shows his numbers last season in Ottawa, this regular season (split between his time in Ottawa and his time in Columbus), and finally his playoff numbers from this past month.