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Columbus Blue Jackets: Gabriel Carlsson Not a Draft Bust. Yet.

By Lansing Murphy

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 18: Alexandre Fortin (84) of the Chicago Blackhawks passes the puck to Philipp Kurashev (71) of the Chicago Blackhawks as Gabriel Carlsson (53) of the Columbus Blue Jackets defends in the first period of a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Chicago Blackhawks on September 18, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 18: Alexandre Fortin (84) of the Chicago Blackhawks passes the puck to Philipp Kurashev (71) of the Chicago Blackhawks as Gabriel Carlsson (53) of the Columbus Blue Jackets defends in the first period of a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Chicago Blackhawks on September 18, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned Gabriel Carlsson to the Cleveland Monsters.

With a blue line that is getting healthier, roster spots in the NHL are starting to get more and more competitive for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Scott Harrington returned from the IR last night and Seth Jones isn’t too far behind him. With a limit of 23 players on the roster, the Jackets were forced to make a decision and Gabriel Carlsson was ultimately sent back to Cleveland to play in the AHL.

The decision was fairly easy for the front office. Carlsson’s play in training camp, preseason games, and the one regular season game he played in wasn’t up to the level the Jackets expect. The 21-year-old still looked a half step slow and made some poor decisions throughout the last month.

He also was easy to send down due to his contract being waiver exempt. There was no risk of losing Carlsson to another team. That isn’t the case with Scott Harrington or Dean Kukan.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets /

Columbus Blue Jackets

The emergence of Adam Clendening also has made the path to a regular NHL spot for Carlsson more difficult. Clendening has now played in two of the Jackets three games, and looked solid in those showings.

Carlsson a Bust?

This training camp certainly wasn’t what Carlsson, or the Columbus Blue Jackets expected. The 2015 first round pick has only logged 17 NHL games. Only seven other first round picks from 2015 have played less games and two of those players are about to pass the 17 game mark before December.

Carlsson hasn’t looked like a first round pick in Columbus or Cleveland but lets not call him a bust quite yet. Last year, Carlsson dealt with injuries and with a bit of a growth spurt. It was also his first full year on North American ice.

Carlsson should play a prominent role for the upstart Monsters this year. He needs another year to build confidence and playing a full season in the AHL is exactly what he needs before taking another stab at the NHL next season.

Let’s not forget that the Columbus Blue Jackets already have two NHL defenseman from the 2015 draft that have played over 130 games. Both Zach Werenski and Markus Nutivaara have been great defenseman for the team.

Drafting three NHL defenseman in a single draft is almost unheard of. Jarmo is a wizard, but it shouldn’t shock anyone if Gabriel Carlsson can’t make the cut in the NHL.

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