Columbus Blue Jackets Minding the Metro: Draft Options for Rivals

The Columbus Blue Jackets Metropolitan Division rivals will be picking early and often in the 2018 NHL entry draft.

For the second draft in a row, a Metropolitan team will have a top two pick in this year’s NHL draft. Unlike last year though, divisional rivals of the Columbus Blue Jackets won’t have both of the top picks.

Last year both the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers hit the draft lottery big time and rose to the top two slots. This year, the Carolina Hurricanes flew up the draft order to land the number two overall pick. The Hurricanes will almost certainly be taking scoring winger Andrei Svechnikov from the Barrie Colts.

Svechnikov has been the number two prospect all year and is exactly what the Canes need. He will be able to step in to the NHL next year and provide a scoring punch.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Six spots later, the New York Rangers will be drafting in the 9th slot. For the second time in the last two drafts, the Blueshirts will be picking in the top 10. New York has major needs pretty much everywhere but in net and will take the best player available.

They would be through the moon if a scoring winger like Oliver Wahlstrom fell past to ninth, but its unlikely he gets past Chicago. The Rangers will likely the best available defenseman and at nine they are likely to get Noah Dobson, Ty Smith or Adam Bovquist.

After nine, the Edmonton Oilers will make their selection before the New York Islanders have back-to-back picks at 11 and 12. The Islanders should pick a center and a defenseman with their consecutive picks. They need help down the middle and on the blue line in their farm system. All centers except for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, will likely be available to the Islanders at 11. Whoever they like most between Joe Veleno, Barrett Hayton, and Rasmus Kupari will be heading to Long Island. Defensively Ty Smith, Bode Wilde, and Ryan Merkley should all be available options for the Islanders.

Then the Philadelphia Flyers will make their first pick of the night at 14. Later on, they will follow the Jackets 18th overall pick with the 19th selection. The Devils bookend the Jackets pick with the 17th overall selection.

Next: History of the 18th Overall Pick

In all, Metropolitan teams control 42% of the first 19 draft picks this year. That’s a plethora of top young talent coming to the division that has won the last three Stanley Cups. The Jackets future success is in no way a given with all of the high draft picks their Metropolitan Division rivals keep racking up.