Recent Sixth Overall Pick Reportedly On the Verge of Demanding a Trade

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River Hawk
February 10, 2024 (8:08)

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Having been at the bottom of the metropolitan division and 29th overall in the league, it is no secret that the Blue Jackets are having a rough season. They have recently lost Patrick Laine to the player assistance program and Adam Fantilli due to injury. Yet, it seems they may be down another player who has consistently expressed his frustrations with the team.

Frustrated Defenseman Close To Demanding A Trade

20-year-old defenseman David Jiricek was drafted sixth overall in 2022 by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yet, just in this season, he was demoted to the American League four times now. In a recent interview with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Jiricek took the time to discuss his frustrations with his lack of ice time with the NHL.

"I've played good hockey in the NHL. I am an NHL player right now. That's my opinion, I should be playing in the NHL right now."

"I see guys from the same draft, like Simon Nemec [in New Jersey] and [Kevin] Korchinski [in Chicago]. [...] They get their chance on the power play. They play a lot of minutes in the NHL. These are different teams, different situations, but I can compare myself to them. I just want the chance to play like them."

Blue Jackets Coach Implies Jiricek Needs More Game Practice

Despite the early draft pick, Jiricek has only played in 40 NHL games. During these, he made one and eight assists while he was able to gather three assists in four games with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters. Given these stats, it is no surprise that head coach Pascal Vincent sent him to the AHL for more playing time.

"I told him one of the things I like about him is his character," Vincent shared on Friday. "He wants to be in the NHL and I love that. I told him, 'Don't lose that. That's what we want from you.'"

"This part of his game also reflects the way he plays on the ice. He has confidence."

With tensions rising and the trade deadline approaching, it is only a matter of time before we know if Jiricek will start getting more time with his current team or look to get his ice time elsewhere.

As seen on A player drafted after Juraj Slafkovsky is extremely unhappy and could request a trade

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FÉVRIER 10 \| 65 ANSWERS Recent Sixth Overall Pick Reportedly On the Verge of Demanding a Trade Do you think David Jiricek will be traded?
Yes	34	52.3 %
No	31	47.7 %
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