2015 NHL Draft - What might the Blue Jackets do?
This weekend, the NHL will officially turn its collective eye to the future with the 2015 Draft occurring in Sunrise, Florida at the BB&T Center. Considered one of the deepest drafts talent-wise in recent history, the Blue Jackets will be looking to capitalize on the opportunity.
Going into the draft, the Blue Jackets have 10 picks at their disposal, including six in the first three rounds. They are one of only six teams to have that many picks, the most belonging to any team in this year's draft.
Columbus currently owns the eighth overall pick, three second-round picks (34, 38, 58), two third-round picks (68,69) two fifth round picks (129, 141) a sixth-round pick (159) and a seventh round pick (189).
That many selections provides not only a long list of opportunities to bring in new prospects but also more than a bit of currency should the Jackets try to attempt to make a trade for another NHL player or for a higher drafting position.
So what do the Jackets do with all those picks?
While Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is known to subscribe to the "best player available" philosophy, defense has become an articulated need for the club. Both Kekalainen and Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson spoke at season's end about the priority of improving defensively.
And with prospect Mike Reilly informing the club earlier this month that he would be pursuing free agency and would not sign with Columbus there is one less defenseman in the prospect pipeline.
With three strong defensive prospects in pre-draft top ten rankings including Boston College's Noah Hanifin, Ivan Provorov of the WHL Brandon Wheat Kings, and Zach Werenski from the University of Michigan, the Jackets could find a solid candidate to help bolster the blue line. They may even want to try to move up in the draft order to secure their choice of players.
Tuesday, it was reported by Sportsnet's Chris Johnston that the Jackets may be one of a few teams courting the Arizona Coyotes with a transaction that would give the Jackets Arizona's third overall pick. Columbus not only has the currency of draft picks available, they also have a long list of forwards - NHL-ready and prospects - that could be packaged into an attractive offer for Arizona's general manager Don Maloney.
While the first two picks appear relatively secure - with Edmonton expected to take wunderkind Connor McDavid number one overall, and Buffalo to select Jack Eichel, it appears what happens after that - for the league and the Jackets - is anyone's guess, and it promises to be interesting.
Of note, the Blue Jackets are not the only central Ohio interest in this year's Draft. Columbus native Jack Roslovic, who played with the AAA Blue Jackets and recently finished 27-52-79 in 65 games with the US National U18 Team, has garnered attention leading up to this year's selection process. The 18-year-old is a right-handed center who has been projected to be drafted as early as 29th according to Hockey Prospectus.
The first round of the draft will be held Friday, June 26 and begins at 7 p.m. Rounds 2-7 are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27.
