Part of rebuilding an organization from the ground up, is acquiring additional picks and prospects. The goal is to get younger and give yourself more lottery tickets for the future. One of those lottery tickets for the Blue Jackets has flown somewhat under the radar. But, Denton Mateychuk could be a franchise altering defenseman.
Mateychuk wasn't picked with one of the picks the Jackets acquired by dealing away a veteran player. In fact, he was picked with their own #12 overall selection at the 2022 NHL Draft - which came after a surprisingly competitive season from the rebuilding squad.
The team has been extremely patient with him so far, in spite of the fact that he probably deserved to get at least a 9-game look in the NHL after an impressive training camp last fall. Instead, he returned to junior, where he obliterated the WHL.
Mateychuk scored 17 goals and 75 points in 52 games as captain of the Moose Jaw Warriors, winning the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as WHL defenseman of the year. He then added 11 goals and 30 points in 20 playoff games, winnings Playoff MVP honors while leading his team to a WHL championship.
He did all of this while also starring for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, where he scored 4 assists in 5 games played. Remember this: Mateychuk is a defenseman.
At just under 6'0" tall, and around 190 pounds; he makes up for any height shortcomings by being extremely elusive. He turns and pivots effortlessly, to the point where opposition forwards often breeze past when trying to check him.
Mateychuk times plays well and knows when to jump into the rush or find open space in the attacking zone. He's nothing short of dynamic with the puck on his stick, able to hold onto it seemingly at will before dishing off a pass to a wide open teammate.
In short, this is our answer to the Cale Makar, Adam Fox, or Quinn Hughes type of defenseman that has become so popular in today's NHL. Whether or not Mateychuk can reach those levels of offense is yet to be seen. But, I think he'll be a 15 year NHL player because he has all of the traits to do it.
One bold prediction: Mateychuk will still have Calder eligibility after this season.
This means he'll play in fewer than 25 games for the Blue Jackets this year. The smart play is to let Mateychuk marinate in the AHL for at least one season - even if the goal is to call him up after the trade deadline (a potential Ivan Provorov deal), so he can finish out the year in Columbus.
I would hate to see the club ruin Denton's development by using him in depth NHL minutes as a 20 year old, on a team that probably isn't going to sniff the playoffs anyhow. Let him play top pairing minutes in Cleveland, and reap the big rewards in 2025.
There is only one problem with that plan: he may very well force his way onto this CBJ team out of training camp.