Jake Christiansen has been in the Blue Jackets organization for six seasons and has slowly worked his way into a solidified roster spot, although lacking a defined role. He has played 363 games of professional hockey, 152 of which in the NHL.
Last season, he was a low-impact minute-muncher who exclusively got playing time on the third defensive pair. Although he only recorded three assists without a goal, he definitely was not a liability, and was a safe plug-in over the course of the year.
When Christiansen was on the ice, the Blue Jackets had 50% of the total shots and shot attempts according to MoneyPuck, which is within a percentage point of both Ivan Provorov (50%) and Denton Mateychuk (51%), who mostly played on the second pair.
Christiansen also had a nearly even share of expected goals, at 49.2%. However, his actual goals percentage was much lower, at a position-worst 34.8%. You could chalk this up to either bad luck or something the numbers don't quite capture, and I'm somewhere in the middle.
Although I like Christiansen's game and think he is more polished than he gets credit for, he isn't a particularly large defender at 6'0, 200 pounds, and doesn't have the speed to make up for it.
He can struggle at times when isolated on defense, which is likely why he wasn't trusted to play on the penalty kill, only doing so a couple of times. However, he defends well when he can lean on his defensive partner, which is usually the case.
Because of this, and his individual offensive creation also lacking, his value on any special teams unit would be extremely limited, which could hurt his chances at seeing more playing time this season.
Especially when you'd rather not waste Mateychuk or Zach Werenski's minutes on the penalty kill, the Blue Jackets are likely to opt for Erik Gudbranson when looking at the third right-handed defenseman spot, even if he is worse at even strength.
While I like Christiansen as a player and he has certainly proven himself in the minors, he is a low-value player who provides good depth, but I wouldn't want him playing on a nightly basis. He also turns 27 in September, so it's not like we're expecting major development either.
While I have a lot of respect for him earning his place after signing with Columbus as an undrafted free agent, I would rather see Gudbranson or even a Monsters call-up get those bottom-pair minutes. With that being said, if injuries strike, I would feel safe with Christiansen in that role.
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