Although the Columbus Blue Jackets currently occupy the top wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference — and have been surging as of late — general manager Don Waddell has a couple of tough decisions to make ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell confirmed he won't be trading defenseman Ivan Provorov prior to Friday's deadline."It's different this year, for me, than probably other years as a GM,

As reported by The Athletic on Monday, the Blue Jackets are close to signing tough winger Mathieu Olivier to a long-term contract extension. Olivier, a pending unrestricted free agent, has emerged as perhaps the NHL’s top fighter, as well as a leader and a secondary scorer (12 goals) for Columbus this season.

The Blue Jackets have acquired forward Luke Kunin from the Sharks ahead of the stretch run, as first reported by The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

As such, with the Blue Jackets in the midst of the hunt for a Stanley Cup Playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, defenseman Ivan Provorov, considered a leading candidate to be moved not so long ago because of his eligibility to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, might be staying put.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the best stories in all of sports this season. They have responded to the death of Johnny Gaudreau by having their best season in years, holding down a playoff spot heading into the NHL trade deadline.