COLUMBUS, Ohio — Like most other NHL clubs, the Columbus Blue Jackets are heading into the biggest stretch of the offseason looking to add a forward near the top of their lineup. The most likely way this happens is via trade.Why? Well, there aren’t many difference makers available via free agency, and the Blue Jackets can’t expect to add immediate help with the No. 14 pick at the NHL Draft this month.So, general manager Don Waddell, who has already swung 14 trades in his two years on the job in Columbus, will need to keep the swap meet going if the Blue Jackets are going to fortify their top two lines.There have already been scores of conversations toward this goal, Waddell said in an interview on Sunday. He ran into fellow GMs in Switzerland during the IIHF World Championships. He had further chats with his contemporaries at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, N.Y.Many of those potential deals may need to wait until the draft is staged June 26-27, but the end of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday signaled the official start of the offseason. There were two trades already on Tuesday.It’s time for Waddell to join the party, and we’re happy to help. Using colleague Chris Johnston’s NHL offseason trade board, we’ve picked five names that would make sense for the Blue Jackets to acquire via trade.The names run the gamut from high-price acquisitions to high-risk, low-cost options, but they have one thing in common: We’ve listed players known to play predominantly on the wing.Yes, centers can often be shifted to the wing, and — like defensemen — an NHL club can never have too many options down the middle.But there is a premium price tag for centers, and the Blue Jackets feel pretty good about their depth with Adam Fantilli, Charlie Coyle, Sean Monahan, and Isac Lundeström down the middle, plus a collection of other players (Cole Sillinger, Dmitri Voronkov, Luca Del Bel Belluz) who can play the pivot.The following wingers are listed in order from “dream scenario” to “well, give it a shot!”Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto Maple LeafsFull disclosure: It makes zero sense for the Maple Leafs to move a 23-year-old power forward who is trending toward point-a-game production, but Knies’ name has been all over the rumor mill for months now, and the Leafs make moves all the time that don’t make sense. (Reportedly, they nearly traded him to Montreal at the March trade deadline.) This would be a huge get for the Blue Jackets, as it would change their look up front and add another young talent to their budding group. A Knies-Fantilli-Marchenko line could be dominant for years to come.Trade considerations: This would cost the Blue Jackets dearly: at least one roster player and a top prospect, and perhaps also this year’s No. 14 pick. The roster hole it creates could precipitate other moves, but some players are worth it. Knies, under contract for five more seasons, does not have any no-trade or no-move clauses in his contract until the 2030-31 season, when a modified no-trade kicks in.