Columbus Blue Jackets Draft candidate at 4th overall, Cayden Lindstrom could be a dream fit
If the first three picks of the draft shake out as many expect, Cayden Lindstrom should be available for the Blue Jackets when they step up to the podium. He could be exactly what we're looking for.
The Blue Jackets feel pretty comfortable about Adam Fantilli as their future #1 center. As well they should, he has everything you want in a top line pivot: size, speed, skill, and compete level.
One big question still exists for this club, however. Who is going to center the line behind him?
The Jackets have some really good young centers in the system. Cole Sillinger, Dmitri Voronkov, Luca del bel Belluz, and maybe even Gavin Brindley could develop into that mold. To this point, however, each of them come with different question marks; and none of them have shown consistently that they can reach that level. At least not yet.
For that reason, with another top-5 pick at their disposal, why wouldn't the Jackets take a crack at someone like Cayden Lindstrom?
Like Fantilli, Lindstrom has all of the tools to become a top-two center in the NHL. At 6'4 and already approaching 220 pounds, Lindstrom has a pro-ready frame. He just turned 18 in February, so I expect him to keep growing(!).
Unlike a lot of players with that size, he has speed and very good edge work (again, like Fantilli). He combines that size and speed to create space for himself, whether it's in front of the net, cycling along the boards, or off the rush - he's a dangerous player any time he's on the ice.
Lindstrom has a rare combination of abilities that allows him to beat an opponent down the wing with his speed; or bull his way to the net, using his strength to keep a defender from pushing him off the puck. In those traits, he reminds me a little bit of Rick Nash.
I think Lindstrom would be an absolute lock to go in the top-four of this year's draft, if not for the injury troubles he ran into this season. He missed time due to a broken hand early in the year - then missed more time due to a back injury suffered later in the season.
There will be questions about his health moving forward (back injuries can be scary), but if teams feel comfortable with his health; he's going to hear his name called very early in next month's draft.
Could he be the fourth overall pick? My verdict on the next page.
Spoiler: in short, yes, he would be a worthy fourth overall pick.
Aside from his injuries, Cayden Lindstrom's draft season was quite impressive. He bullied his way around the rough and tumble Western Hockey League, scoring 27 goals and 46 points in just 32 games played.
He also added 66 penalty minutes, which showcases the one part of his game I haven't touched on yet: Lindstrom is mean. I'm not saying he's going to go out looking for trouble ala Mathieu Olivier. But, he's not afraid to throw his body around, or participate in post-whistle activities himself.
He's got a little bit of that "Tkachuk" to his game; in that he has the skill to score a lot of points, but the size and snarl to throw a big hit, or just crawl under the skin of his opponents.
When you put it all together, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilty that Lindstrom could be a 30-40 goal, 60-80 point player in the NHL at his peak. I'm not sure I would want to draft him as the centerpiece to my franchise - but if I had someone like Adam Fantilli around, this is exactly the kind of player I would want to see play behind him in the lineup.
Lindstrom's combination of size, speed, skill, competitiveness, and grit; will make him a matchup nightmare on a future second line. For these reasons, he may be the best pick the Blue Jackets could make at fourth overall.
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