from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

As soon as the Blue Jackets swung a blockbuster deal for Artemi Panarin last week, hardcore fans had to be thinking: “Panarin on the left, Alexander Wennberg in the middle and ... gee, who’s on the right wing of the No. 1 line? Cam Atkinson? Nick Foligno?”

And there might have been another thought wriggling around in the grey matter: “Ilya Kovalchuk is out there. Panarin-Wennberg-Kovalchuk has a nice ring to it. It sounds like 100 cannon blasts.”...

To this end, the thought of signing free agent Joe Thornton is not outlandish. What the heck. Take it a step further. Get Jumbo Joe this year and sign Rick Nash, who maintains a house in central Ohio, when he hits the market next year. Crazy?...

It’s a nice thought, but I don’t see any of it happening. Thornton is 37 years old, he’s coming off of knee surgery and he cottons to the West Coast. I think Jumbo stays in San Jose. Nash is a discussion to have at a later date. As for Kovalchuk, 34, there is a question of how much the Jackets need him versus how much the Jackets are willing to give up for him. If you are Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, would you trade, say, Ryan Murray or Boone Jenner for the right to pay Kovalchuk for two or three years?

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