Nearly a month into the 2018 NHL regular-season schedule and the respective futures of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and left-wing Artemi Panarin appear no closer to a resolution. There’s growing speculation over whether one or both could hit the trade block later this season.
Both are arguably the most important of the Blue Jackets’ core players. The 30-year-old Bobrovsky is the only active two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy and considered among the NHL’s elite goalies. Panarin, 26, is among the league’s most gifted scorers, coming off a career-best 82-point performance in 2017-18.