Columbus Blue Jackets Lukas Sedlak Third or Fourth Line Center?

The Columbus Blue Jackets roster will take shape in less than a month at training camp. Questions remain up the middle.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will sign their number one center Alexander Wennberg before the start of the year. The number two will likely be veteran Brandon Dubinsky. This, of course, changes if the Jackets land Matt Duchene before the start of the season.

Many, including myself, expect the third center position to be filled by rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois. But many questions remain around the fourth and final center spot.

Last season Lukas Sedlak broke out and impressed in his rookie season. He was a great fourth line center putting up solid numbers in a tough situation. Sedlak, while only having a 46.5% offensive zone starting percentage, had good possession numbers. In 62 games, he had a 53.3% fenwick for at even strength.

Thats pretty darn impressive for a fourth line rookie center starting out on defense far more than offense. Part of this possession number is his ability to win face-offs. Sedlak was one of the best face-off men on the team winning 52.4% of his opportunities.

Related Story: Pierre-Luc Dubois is Ready for the NHL

Although he did not light it up scoring wise, he still produced a fair amount. 13 points in 62 games isn’t terrible for a guy who has never scored at a high pace, even in juniors. But where does Sedlak project next season? Is he a typical 4th line center or better? Will he fill the bottom slot? Lets take a look.

Sedlak vs 3rd Line Center

I truly believe Pierre-Luc Dubois is ready to make the jump. He will likely be the Jackets 3rd line center but you never know. What if Sedlak impresses in camp and takes the spot? How does he compare to the average 3rd line center in the NHL from last season?

These fantastic comparison charts come from Own The Puck. These HERO charts a great comparison tool and we all love to compare players.

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At a quick glance, it looks as though Sedlak is deficient in a few too many categories to be relied upon to play on the 3rd line. But the first category, ice time, would correct itself if he is promoted to the third line. Goals are right on track as is shot generation (SHOTGEN).

He is significantly better at shot suppression (SHOTSUP) than the average 3rd liner and in fact is already one of the better defensive centers out there.

His offensive production is slightly below the average 3rd liner, as expected. But not by much. With a slight improvement in the offensive end, or more offensive zone starts, he could be a prototypical third line center.

Sedlak vs 4th Line Center

Not much has changed here except for the low offensive numbers line up a bit better with the 4th line center. Again this is also Sedlak’s first year in the league.

Another offseason and training camp will help Sedlak improve and take his offensive game to the next level. Even though his numbers aren’t too far off of prototypical third line center numbers, the Jackets need more than average from their center if the team hopes to move on deep into the playoffs.

Sedlak will be above average in the right position. His defensive prowess make him an ideal candidate for the Columbus Blue Jackets fourth line center in 2017-2018 season.