Ranking the Top 3 Rookies that could make the Columbus Blue Jackets
With training camp just a few weeks away, we rank the top three rookies who could start the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It’s getting close folks. Before you know it the Ice Haus will be buzzing with veteran players and rookie skaters both looking to ensure a spot with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Jackets prospect cupboard is pretty bare compared to previous years but thats to be expected when you have the youngest team in the NHL. Since Jarmo Kekelainen took over as general manager, the team has built up a great young core that today, mostly find themselves in the NHL.
There are some prospects though that have an opportunity to break into the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Traverse City prospect tournament and training camp will be the final chance to make their case to Jarmo and Torts.
A look at the team right now doesn’t provide for a ton of options for rookies to crack the roster, but injuries or exceptional performances can open the door for some fresh blood. So could a blockbuster Artemi Panarin trade and that could happen any time.
Let’s take a look at the three players most likely to make the squad out of camp.
#3 Gabriel Carlsson
Although he has had two brief stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Gabriel Carlsson would still be considered a rookie if he made the squad. The Swedish defenseman has 16 games of NHL experience including a disappointing 14 games last season.
Carlsson was a 1st round pick in 2015 and has yet to make the jump to the NHL like his fellow Columbus Blue Jackets draftees of that year. Both Zach Werenski and Markus Nutivaara have played over 125 games each in the league and have made big impacts.
The odds of drafting three impact defenseman in the same draft is astronomical so Carlsson may not pan out but there are a few opportunities for him in this organization still. After losing both Ian Cole and Jack Johnson in the offseason, there are spots open further down in the defensive depth chart. Carlsson could push Scott Harrington and Dean Kukan for the 6th and 7th defenseman slot.
Carlsson could also perform well in training camp and give the front office more flexibility in how they handle the expiring contracts of Ryan Murray and Scott Harrington. Both would be nice trade options as serviceable defenseman with no financial burden following this season.
Carlsson is going to have to show that he took a major step forward after a disappointing 17-18 season but he could be on the Jackets opening night roster.
#2 Jonathan Davidsson
Jonathan Davidsson might be the next late round pick that turns out to be a diamond in the rough. The 6th round pick from 2017 has received high praise from Jarmo Kekelainen and has the chance to make the team out of camp.
Davidsson has spent the last two seasons playing for Djurgardens IF in the SHL where he showed a nice progression over two seasons. He went from posting 12 points in 44 games in his rookie campaign to 31 points in 52 games last year.
The 21-year-old center also had a solid playoff run with eight points in 11 games. Davidsson thinks the game at a high level and thinks at NHL speed. The question will be can he play at NHL speed.
I think he can and he will prove that in training camp this year. Davidsson is a dark horse candidate to take the fourth line center role from Lukas Sedlak or Brandon Dubinsky. He is that good.
Sedlak will be looking to bounce back from a season cut short due to injury and Dubinsky will have a ton to prove after a disastrous 17-18 season. The competition will be fierce, which is great for the organization.
#1 Vitaly Abramov
This should excite every Columbus Blue Jackets fan out there. There is a real possibility that Vitaly Abramov makes the NHL squad out of camp and becomes the next impact rookie in the organization.
Abramov has the speed, skill, and scoring ability to continue the tradition, albeit short, of great rookies playing for the Jackets. Last year it was Pierre-Luc Dubois, and the year before that it was Calder trophy finalist Zach Werenski.
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Abramov has dominated the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League over the last two years and has made his intentions to make the NHL squad quite clear. Abramov feels that he was close last year, and he was, but he still needed to improved his off the puck game and added some size.
But has he done enough to prove he can play in the far more physical NHL? Where does a talent like Abramov draw in the lineup? I think Vitaly is a natural fit in the top six if the Jackets trade Artemi Panarin. He can slot in and provide a dynamic scoring threat and try to fill the role as a Panarin-lite.
Even if he doesn’t make the Columbus Blue Jackets, I expect to see Abramov a few times this year in Columbus.
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Carlsson, Davidsson, and Abramov all have a solid chance to prove they can play at the NHL level this September. Will any of them make the roster to start the year? Let us know what you think in the comments below.