Denton Mateychuk
Not only are the Blue Jackets fortunate enough to have a top defense prospect on the right side - they have one on the left side, as well. Denton Mateychuk was one of the best defensemen in all of the CHL this past season, and he'll be fighting for an NHL job next month.
In fact, he almost made the team last fall. Mateychuk was one of the last cuts from training camp, sticking around way longer than most of us expected before being sent back to Moose Jaw for his final WHL season.
He returns this year a heavily decorated, more polished all-around player; who is a year older and more experienced. I wouldn't be surprised to see him stick around training camp for a long time again this fall. But, after the team added Jordan Harris and Jack Johnson in recent weeks, his work is cut out for him.
Obviously, every defenseman develops at a different pace. So we can't expect both Mateychuk and Jiricek to be ready at the same time from that perspective. But, I do think that Mateychuk is a difference maker with the puck on his stick. He's already one of the best skating defensemen the Jackets have, and he's a very mature player for being just 20 years old.
Mateychuk proving he's ready could force the Blue Jackets to make some really tough decisions. With all that said, the smart play here would be letting him simmer in the AHL. At least for the start of the season.
At some point, an Ivan Provorov trade looms large - which would eventually open up a job for Denton this season. Once he plays in the NHL, it's going to be really hard to send him back down. He'll be a fan (and coach) favorite in no time.
Odds Denton Mateychuk makes the team: <10%. Don Waddell isn't going to rush anything, and that's the smart play. Take the early part of the season to evaluate and figure out the direction of this team, and go from there. With a left side featuring Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, Jordan Harris, and Jack Johnson - lest we forget Jake Christiansen, who has certainly earned a look - there's no sense forcing Mateychuk into heavy minutes he may not be ready for.
Let's move on to a couple of forwards that could make the cut.