Columbus Blue Jackets With Zero Draft Picks, Win Draft Day
Despite owning zero first round draft picks this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets were the biggest winners on the opening night of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Winners and loser on draft night is the favorite game of the pundits and analyst. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the big winners today despite having no 1st round picks to announce last night.
The blockbuster deal between the NHL Draft host city Chicago was a huge win for the franchise. The Jackets added a pure scorer that Jarmo and the front office had dreamed of on the same day as the 2017 NHL Entry Draft held its first round.
Losing Brandon Saad hurts. He was the Jackets best 5v5 player last season. He drove possession and was the glue of the top two lines this season. Saad though was not the only Jacket that plays a strong, possession style, high end grinding game.
Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson all play similarly to Saad. None of them have the same talent level of Saad, but nonetheless, same style. The Jackets just sacrificed a lot to protect Anderson and are clearly showing their faith in him again with this deal.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The same can not be said about Artemi Panarin. Since coming to the NHL from Russia, all he has done is score 75 points in each of his first two seasons and win the Calder Trophy. The 25-year-old is a pure scorer and exactly what the Columbus Blue Jackets needed.
That’s not even getting into the prospects that changed hands. There was no future for Forseberg in Columbus whatsoever after this winter’s poor showing from Anton. Tyler Motte on the other hand could fill in nicely as a fourth line center or top notch AHL guy. The 22-year-old will have a chance to prove himself in Columbus.
Jackets Won Draft Day
With all that, the draft is about getting your team better now, and for the long term. Thats exactly what the Jackets did.
They added a player that can immediately come in and make a difference in a weak spot for the team. The power play and 5v5 offense will see significant upticks because of Panarin. Furthermore, Panarin is only locked up for two more seasons compared to Saad’s six. This gives the Jackets much more flexibility long term in shaping the team from a salary cap perspective.
It surely hurts losing a player like Saad. But you get what you pay for and the Jackets will be happy both short term and long term with the price they paid.
Without any draft picks, Jarmo has done an incredible thing. Jarmo has won draft day without making a single pick.