Well, the ball dropped on Friday with Matt Duchene. The centre was rumoured to be linked to the Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, and to some extent, the Montreal Canadiens, and when the dust was all settled, Columbus was the final team remaining.
The trade took a first round pick in 2019 and two prospects in Vitaly Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson. There is also another conditional first in 2020 that would be sent to Ottawa if Duchene resigns with the team.
Abramov got Blue Jackets fans excited with his play in the QMJHL as well as his performance at training camp ahead of the season.