If you are like me, the NHL Draft is an event you have circled on your calendar all year long. But, even if not, it's still an exciting time for any hockey fan, as your team gets a chance to alter their future.
Unfortunately, last night's draft was overshadowed by a heavy week of news and rumors surrounding the Blue Jackets and two of their biggest stars. I hoped that the evening's festivities would give us a chance to push that all aside, and enjoy the moment our team made their pick.
For the first 13 picks or so, the Jackets were never even mentioned. In fact, while their pick was on the clock, the commentary group began talking about the St Louis Blues, because they had back-to-back picks coming up (#15+16).
When the conversation finally swung to the Blue Jackets, they immediately began talking about Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko. After having nothing but positive talks about the teams who picked ahead of them, and the players they selected: ESPN went right to the negative when discussing the Jackets.
No wonder guys don't want to play here. This team gets no respect, even when things have generally been going pretty well for them. They almost made the playoffs last season.
There was no talk about any of that. We got very little discussion around what the team needed to target with their pick, or what players they might be interested in.
Instead, we got a smiling Kevin Weekes dropping a "Weekesy Bomb" on us just seconds before our pick was announced. He sucked all of the air out of anything positive for our organization, and he did it with a jovial grin on his face.
👀 This literally off the press, Marchenko’s camp tells me that as of now he’s unlikely to re sign with @BlueJacketsNHL
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 27, 2026
as of now. #HockeyX pic.twitter.com/SpqykU0uMr
Twist the knife, why don't ya?
I understand that it's breaking news, and in today's era, everyone wants to be the first one to break it. But, if you just got that text message while you were on the air; what difference does it make if you wait 5 minutes to announce it?
Oscar Hemming was just picked by the Blue Jackets with pick #14 overall, and I don't think much of this fanbase will ever remember that pick being made. Instead, we'll remember the day our franchise was disrespected on national TV. Again.
Not the first time this has happened.
This isn't the first time Weekes has had a slip-up involving the Blue Jackets in recent years. At the 2023 draft lottery, they had a production error that caused him to note that only the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks had a chance at the #1 overall pick.
That tipped us off that we would be picking third, which shocked even Jarmo Kekalainen. Still, while it was annoying, most of us understood what happened there and it was fully forgiveable.
What happened last night was not. It was no accident. It was disrespectful, and our fanbase deserves better from ESPN; even if the players don't want to play here.
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