Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Picks in NHL.com 2018 Mock Draft

Mock Draft has the Columbus Blue Jackets focusing on forwards.

NHL.com put out their first mock draft of the year following the initial release of Central Scouting’s top prospects. Three writers for NHL.com all project the Columbus Blue Jackets to take a forward.

Of course this is one of those “way too early” things as we don’t know where the Jackets will be in the draft order. I think its safe to assume that they will not be in the running for Rasmus Dahlin at number one. They will likely be around the 16th-20th pick as the Jackets currently sit 12th in the league standings.

The three writers all had the Jackets taking forwards- two with center picks and one a winger. Adam Kimelman had the Columbus Blue Jackets selecting center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, a 17-year-old playing in Finland’s Liiga. Kotkaniemi has put up 22 points in 45 games in a grown mans league as a kid. Not bad, especially since he is playing for a pretty bad Assat team.

By comparison the Jackets top pick in last years draft, Alexandre Texier, has scored 14 points in 35 games and is a year older.

Mike Morreale also has the Columbus Blue Jackets taking a center. His selection, Barrett Hayton, is playing in the OHL for Canada’s top junior team, the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds. The Greyhounds are loaded with NHL talent which has certainly helped Hayton.

He has 42 points in 44 games. Morreale says that some scouts have even compared him to Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron. But in all reality he is a fringe first line center on his best days. More than likely he is a solid second line center.

As a Columbus Blue Jackets fan, this has to be the best case scenario for the squad. Hayton is arguably the best center in the draft and having him fall to the Jackets would be great. I doubt Hayton is available but if he is, the Jackets should take him.

Guillaume Lepage was the only writer to not have the Jackets select a center. He leaned toward Russian junior winger Grigori Denisenko. The 5’10” winger is in the same junior program that Columbus Blue Jacket prospect Vladislav Gavrikov came through, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

Next: CBJ Prospect Vladislav Gavrikov Heading to Olympics

Denisenko has 14 points in 23 games so far this season in the MHL, Russia’s junior league. He is ranked #4 amongst European skaters in NHL Central Scoutings first list of prospects.

All Forward Projection

Of course it’s far too early to speculate at what the Jackets need but I find it interesting that every writer projected the Jackets to take a forward. In a year that is loaded for defenseman and soft at center, I find it surprising that the writers would project that Jackets to go toward a forward.

More from Union and Blue

Besides Hayton, I wouldn’t want the Jackets to take a center. I don’t expect a player like Hayton to be available at any pick the Jackets will end up having this season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets do have serious questions on the blue line to answer with the injury prone Ryan Murray, Jack Johnson wanting out of Columbus and the lack of answers we have got from Gabriel Carlsson and his disappointing play in Cleveland. Add on top of that the uncertainty with the aforementioned Vladislav Gavrikov and his timeline towards coming to North America and this Columbus Blue Jackets blue line is thin.

There are a ton of quality defenseman that could end up being top four guys in the NHL available, even late into the first round of this years draft. The CBJ should keep their eye on some of these guys as they approach the draft this offseason and not lock themselves into a need position.

Home / Draft