2022 CBJ Draft Options: Using the Picks
The Blue Jackets picked Nikita Filatov sixth overall in 2008
We’re just two days away from the 2022 NHL Draft, which looks to be the jumping off point for a potentially crazy offseason. With two high picks (#6, #12 overall), the Blue Jackets will come in with a chance to add two more potential core players to their young team; following up a very successful 2021 Draft. Today we’ll look at the way these picks may break down, should the team use the picks they currently have at their disposal.
I don’t think there’s any doubt who the top three picks will be at Thursday’s draft. It will be Shane Wright, Juraj Slavkovsky, and Logan Cooley – the only thing we don’t know is, in which order or to whom. After the top three, there’s a pretty clear “second tier” in my opinion, that includes Simon Nemec, David Jiricek, and the rising Cutter Gauthier. I think Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis will strut to the stage to draft Nemec. One year removed from drafting their future franchise center (Matty Beniers); Francis takes a player who could anchor their defense corps for the next decade.
After Seattle’s pick, things aren’t so clear. Philadelphia sits with pick #5, but rumors have them possibly shopping that pick for immediate help. Should the Flyers make this pick, I fully expect them to be the team that takes Gauthier off the board. They have a relatively young defense corps with some good upside, and will add a player that can play either center or the wing. Gauthier brings size, skill, and he can skate. While he doesn’t hold the same upside that you might get out of the top-three picks in this draft, he has the potential to be a top-two line player in the NHL.
If the draft shakes down like this, Columbus would see David Jiricek fall into their laps at sixth overall. Jiricek has a big frame, at 6-3 and 190 pounds; he plays a physical style and has a booming shot, but is also a responsible defender who can skate really well. Nemec may have more offensive upside, but Jiricek is arguably the best two-way defender in the draft, and could slot onto the top pairing with Zach Werenski for years to come.
While it’s impossible to know how things will shake down – especially if someone like Philadelphia trade their pick – it’s exciting to think that we’ll land one of the prospects I mentioned above at sixth overall. Whether it’s Jiricek, Gauthier, or someone Jarmo Kekalainen and his staff deem higher on their list, the Blue Jackets will add another exciting prospect to an already impressive pool.
The last time the Blue Jackets had pick #12, things went pretty well
With their second first round pick, the situation has a lot less clarity. I really think the strategy here depends on a couple of things: Obviously, the scouting staff for the Blue Jackets will have their list made up and will have a general idea which player they are going to take here, regardless how the beginning of the draft lays out. We saw this last year when they selected Corson Ceulemans. But, I think their first pick could skew their pick here slightly. As an example, if you land a “safe” pick like Jiricek at #6, do you feel like taking a risk here? If you drafted a huge upside, swing for the fences type player earlier on, do you play it safe? If they have two players ranked closely together, I think that could swing their decision one way or the other.
Assuming the Jackets did land their defenseman (Jiricek) at six, I think they look to address the forward position here. There will be five selections before the Jackets go to the podium again: Ottawa (7th), Detroit (8th), Buffalo (9th), Anaheim (10th), and San Jose (11th). Without diving too deeply into these teams, my hot take is that Detroit takes Brad Lambert 8th overall, and it works for them. I’ll catch flak for it, but Steve Yzerman finds superstar talent, and I think Lambert is a much better player than his numbers in Liiga suggest.
Sitting at #12, I the Blue Jackets land one of Lambert (assuming the other teams all pass), Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Matthew Savoie, Marco Kasper, Connor Geekie, or Frank Nazar. If their first pick was a forward, we’re probably looking at defensemen including Kevin Korchinski, Pavel Mintyukov, or Denton Mateychuk.
Assuming they have Jiricek at 6, Nazar sure looks like a Jarmo Kekalainen type pick. He’ll take 2-3 years to develop, but it will be free development with the Michigan Wolverines (NCAA), where he’s headed this fall. He’s a terrific skater who has great hands and he can finish. If he were two inches taller, he’s probably a top-5 pick in this draft. Still, at 5-10, 180 pounds, he’s also not incredibly small and I think he’s a player who is being unfairly overlooked in this draft. Personally, I have him inside my top-10 and if the Jackets were to draft him at 12, after landing a player like Jiricek, this is a huge day 1 win in my opinion.
Can the Blue Jackets find another fourth round gem like Dmitry Voronkov?
Still with picks remaining in the second (#44), third (#96 – from TB), fourth (#109), and seventh (#203) rounds, the club has some strong ammunition for day 2 of the draft. If I have one wish for the entire draft, it’s that Lane Hutson is the pick at #44.
Though just 5-8 and 160 pounds, I think he’s the most skilled defenseman in the entire draft and I can see him as a huge riser after the fact. If he were even two or three inches taller, I think he goes top-10 easily. He’s a terrific skater with high end vision and an incredible skillset. Even at his size, I think he can be a top-4 defenseman in the NHL.
With their remaining picks, I would expect the club to select at least one goaltender. It’s hard to forecast who that may be, and I think it will be in the later rounds. They have found value in those rounds – all three of their currently rostered goalies were picked in the third round or later (Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo, Daniil Tarasov).
While not loaded with elite level, franchise type players as some drafts in the past have been, this draft is pretty deep and I think the Jackets can come away with good value in the third and fourth rounds. For this reason, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them add more mid-late round picks if they get the opportunity, whether it’s trading down a few spots to add a later round pick, or dealing from positions of strength on the roster (Emil Bemstrom?).
One last thing that should be mentioned this year, due to world events, is the Russian factor. I think there are several guys with first round abilities, that will fall deep into the draft. Should we see a player like Ivan Miroshnichenko fall into the third round or further, I think you have to take your chances. His stock was already falling due to a Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosis – but he’s on the mend, and at one point was considered a top-5 lock for this draft. Imagine this guy coming along in 2-3 years, joining the roster right when the team is ready to contend.
While I like to dream about first round talent falling into our laps in the third or fourth round, it’s really not that likely. The later rounds usually are a crapshoot, but the scouting department in Columbus is one of the best in the league at finding value with picks in rounds 4-7. If the team can impress the way they did at the 2021 draft, their rebuild will indeed be a quick one.