Trade Speculation: James Wisniewski

We got a hot new name in trade rumors, gang. That’s right, James Wisniewski, good ol’ Michigan boy from Canton, Michigan is reportedly being shopped by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Player Bio:

Birth Date: February 21, 1984 (31 years old)

Place of Birth: Canton, MI

Shoots: Right

Experience: 9 years

Drafted: Drafted by Chicago in 2002 156th overall.

James Wisniewski is a quality, yet headstrong veteran. Plain and simple. He’s a big guy coming in at 6’0″, 208 lbs, but really doesn’t have any true flare that I jump out of my seat for. He’s had some huge seasons in terms of point production, but hasn’t put up those numbers consistently due to not playing as much. The two seasons he played 70+ games, he’s notched over 50 points.. Which is real good.

The Pros and Cons:

James Wisniewski is a right-shooting blue liner with some serious snarl to his game. He plays big, physical, and can shine in an up-tempo system much like Detroit’s. He definitely has the abilities to man the point on the power play and bring a total cannon (pun intended, I am awesome) of a shot. His contract yields some likable terms, as he is signed through 2016-2017 at $5.5 million AAV. The downside to his game has a lot to do with his decision making and defensive positioning. He’s performed well in terms of possession metrics for his team, but the fear I have with him is that he can be somewhat ‘uncontrolled’ at times, and make bad plays in his own zone to cough up a nasty turnover. Let us not forget what Wisniewski told NHL Live not too long ago about his thoughts of playing in Detroit:

“For me, knowing Detroit’s history they don’t really pay the market value for a defenseman or any player,” Wisniewski said on NHL Live. “So I didn’t think that was going to be a fit for myself.

Here is what Mike over at The Cannon had to say about what the expected price of Wisniewski could be:

In a year where teams are reluctant to trade their first round pick, it will be interesting to see what kind of return he would fetch in a potential trade. With many teams tight to the cap, some salary would have to come back to the Jackets. Would this mean a classic player-for-player deal? Columbus could use a scoring forward. Maybe a second round pick and a very good prospect would get the deal done, or maybe a team will bite the bullet and deal their first rounder.

This is what I drew up in my mind as far as potential proposals:

Wings Acquire –

James Wisniewski

Jackets Acquire –

1st round pick

– OR –

Wings Acquire –

James Wisniewski

Jackets acquire –

2nd round pick + Prospect along the lines of Marek Tvrdon, or Mattias Janmark.

Conclusion:

I don’t know how I feel about it. James Wisniewski is a good player at his core, but what really frightens me is that he has bad news written all over him. To elaborate, he reminds me a lot of Jonathan Ericsson and Jakub Kindl in one player. What I mean by that is he is mistake-prone, and could be the kind of player who could potentially ruminate over the mistakes he’s made which in turn just gives you one giant shitty mess. On the flip side, he could be a good meat and potatoes style player who brings it every night and produces on the scoresheet. If you flip a 2nd round pick plus a serviceable prospect for Wisniewski and maybe a third round pick, that would be pretty great.. But throwing a 1st rounder in exchange for him just screams “Kyle Quincey version 2.0″ to me. To be clear, I know he is much better than Kyle Quincey, but I’m just saying.. I have reserved reluctance over him. Everyone seemed to dislke my proposal for Brian Campbell, so tell me.. Does this seem like a better value?

What say you about trading for James Wisniewski?