Ivan Provorov's Trade Fate Finally Revealed by GM, per Insider

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the best surprises of the season, as they currently hold the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 21 games left on the schedule.

Coming into the season, most assumed that the team would be sellers at the trade deadline.

After all, the team finished last in the Metro Division last season, and 29th overall in the NHL.

This year, they've already eclipsed their point total from last season and they've jumped from eighth to fourth in their division.

It has been one of the more remarkable single-season turn arounds in recent memory, and now it seems as though general manager Don Waddell is prepared to go all in.

Waddell revealed today that he does not intend to trade defenseman Ivan Provorov before Friday's deadline, indicating that he is committing to seeing the season through, with hopes of going on a playoff run.

This backs up Previous reports from NHL insider Pierre Lebrun, who said a week ago that the team would decide what to do with Provorov at the last minute.

LeBrun noted that whether or not they move the pending UFA would depend on how the team played going into the trade deadline.

The team has won four of their last five games, including a critical one against the Detroit Red Wings, and so it seems as though they will not be selling this week.

The team has just one more game before Friday's deadline, a matchup against the Florida Panthers in Florida tomorrow.

It will be a tough one for the team, especially coming off of a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but at this point the result of the contest doesn't seem like it will influence Don Waddell's plans for the remainder of the season.

Be sure to stay tuned to see if the Blue Jackets can complete their heroic run and make the playoffs in honor of Johnny Gaudreau.