The Blue Jackets’ hockey operations department gathered Thursday at Nationwide Arena to fine-tune its approach to the March 1 NHL trade deadline.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen didn’t offer The Dispatch a seat at the table, of course, and he wouldn’t get into specifics. But barring a surprise phone call offering a sweetheart deal over the next 10 days, the Blue Jackets will likely be shopping for roster depth — not a high-end acquisition — as they prep for their third foray into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Blue Jackets’ plan calls for the NHL’s youngest team to continue its growth from the inside.

“I don’t think we want to get ahead of ourselves, where we try to put all the eggs in one basket in the spring of 2017 and, sort of, go for it,” Kekalainen said. “We’re going to go for it if we make the playoffs, (in the sense that) it’s going to be a great opportunity for our group.

“That’s the way we should look at the playoffs, if we get there. It’s a great opportunity for our group to again earn some respect and prove to people that we belong there.”

The Blue Jackets play the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at Nationwide Arena, a possible first-round playoff preview. But while the Jackets and the Penguins are on even footing in the standings, at 77 points, they are in far different stages as franchises.

The Penguins won the Stanley Cup last spring. General manager Jim Rutherford is clearly in “go for it” mode to win another, which is why the Penguins are mentioned as possible suitors for some of the biggest names thought to be on the market.

The Blue Jackets are not going big-name hunting.

“There will be a right time where we look at it and think our window might be closing, that maybe this is when we should make a move like that,” Kekalainen said. “Our window is not closing in 2017, it’s just starting to crack open.

“I don’t see any reason to go crazy because we have a crack open in our window. We’re trying to widen it by making wise, long-term decisions, and get better from within.”

Kekalainen rattled off nearly half the roster listing players he believes are still capable of improving significantly with experience. He did allow, however, that he’d pursue moves to enhance roster depth.

“It’s just smart, with injuries and all that can get in your way in the springtime,” Kekalainen said. “You want to protect yourself. We have decent depth. But you can always have better depth in the playoffs, with NHL guys.”

So don’t expect the Blue Jackets to chase the top players on the market, such as Colorado forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene and St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. But players such as forwards Brian Boyle (Tampa Bay), Radim Vrbata (Arizona) and Patrick Eaves (Dallas) — all of whom have expiring contracts — make sense.

One further wrinkle in acquiring players who don’t have expiring contracts, Kekalainen agreed, is the expansion draft. Acquiring a player with a contract for next season and beyond will mean another player exposed to Las Vegas this summer.

“The price (in trade) is not only what you give up right now to get the player, but also the risk you now have to take by having to expose another player,” Kekalainen said. “It’s not a normal year.”

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