Kerby Rychel was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Kerby Rychel was a player who struggled to crack the Columbus Blue Jackets roster regularly, and he’s run into the same issue with all the other teams he’s been on so far in his career.
In his stint with the Blue Jackets, he would often be moving between Springfield/Cleveland and Columbus. He failed to impress when he’d be an injury call up despite regular strong performances at the AHL level.
Rychel was traded to Toronto for defenseman Scott Harrington and he would never play a game in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rychel always seemed like a borderline NHL ready prospect that just couldn’t punch through to the next level.
Columbus Blue Jackets
After his two years with the Toronto Marlies, the former Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick would move on to the Montreal Canadiens.
However, his NHL stint with Montreal would only last four games and he spent most of the season with the Laval Rocket in the AHL. Now he’s signed with the Calgary Flames and has been sent down to the Stockton Heat to start the season.
The 23-year-old has struggled to make an impression and is definitely the worst draft pick of the Jarmo Kekalainen era to this point in his career. The Flames are hoping that this will be the year Rychel finally makes the jump to the NHL level, however it’s beginning to seem like the NHL is a dream for Rychel that may never come true again.
The Columbus Blue Jackets did well getting Scott Harrington who has stayed on the team since being acquired for Kerby Rychel, who’s still yet to find a landing spot where he’d stick.
Will Rychel ever make it to the NHL as a regular or is he going to be a career AHL player? Only time will tell.