Eventually, the Blue Jackets will need one of these two defensemen to show their worth at the highest level.
The organization added two veteran right shot defensemen to the fold this summer, signing Christian Jaros and Dysin Mayo to two-way contracts. We expect both of them to be in Cleveland while the CBJ roster is healthy, but either of them could be called upon at the first sign of injury trouble. The thing is, both of them are right hand shots; so should the need arise for someone on the left side, the Jackets will have to call upon someone else.
This may result in the team signing PTO invitee Brendan Smith to a contract. Or, they could pivot to two very experienced prospects here, either of whom could prove themselves ready for an NHL role. Likely filling out the other two top-four defense spots in Cleveland alongside Jaros and Mayo: Stanislav Svozil and Daemon Hunt.
Early indications might point towards Hunt being the first recall on defense. Originally a third round pick of the Minnesota Wild at the 2020 NHL Draft, Hunt has quietly simmered for three full pro seasons, mostly in the AHL. He's also played for Dean Evason in the past, so there is some familiarity here.
Acquired in the trade that sent David Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild last year, it's obvious that Hunt is a player that Dean likes to some extent. After being picked up, he played in 48 games with the Monsters, scoring 2 goals and 14 points. At this point, he's a veteran of 153 career AHL games, so it seems possible that the Jackets could look to give him a shot in the NHL this year.
If not, maybe Stanislav Svozil can make a case for himself. Like Hunt, he's a former third round pick (2021) who has quite a bit of AHL experience. In the last two seasons with Cleveland, he's been a stalwart, playing 120 games, scoring 9 goals and 49 points in the process.
While his offense hasn't carried completely over from his electric days in junior hockey, Stan has worked hard to round out his game. Combined with his flashy skillset, this makes him an intriguing prospect within the system, one who is maybe a little bit overlooked.
I think there's definitely third pairing potential with Svozil, and now that he's entering the final year of his entry level contract, it makes perfect sense that he could see some minutes with the Blue Jackets should injuries arise. We aren't there yet, but at some point in the not so distant future; they will need to decide if he's part of the future here, or if he's a trade chip for something else.
We could see one or both of these guys on the CBJ blue line this season, filling in for injuries and with an eye towards gauging their overall potential and progress. We have one more player that could see late season minutes in Columbus. Though, the one on the next slide does go against Don Waddell's typical plan.