The Columbus Blue Jackets have selected 203 players at the NHL Draft during their 25 years in the league. They've had a lot of misses. But, they've also struck gold a few times. Today, we'll count down the 5 best draft picks the team has ever made.
It would be easy to go through and pick the guys who scored the most points (Jakub Voracek), or played the most games in the league (Rick Nash). The problem is, that list would include guys who had much of their success elsewhere. It would also be loaded with first round picks who, when you take everything into consideration, never became the players they were hyped up to become.
Instead, this list has been put together based on players who were most successful in Columbus. With the added caveat that later round picks are more heavily weighted. It's easy to find NHL players in the first round, especially with how many top-10 picks this organization has made. After that: not so much. With all of that in mind, here are the 5 best draft picks in franchise history.
5. David Savard (4th round, #94 overall, 2009).
The 2009 draft for the Blue Jackets was a much different perspective than the one this franchise was used to seeing. For the first time in their existence, the team did not have a pick inside the top-10. Their first round pick was #21 overall thanks to the first playoff berth in franchise history.
Still, they were a mostly young team that needed to build up its talent pool. So, it was vital that they come away with some NHL talent. They did that in the form of two defensemen. Their first round pick became John Moore, who spent 544 games in the league and was an important trade chip in the deal that brought Marian Gaborik to town. That's a late 1st round win.
The real win for the Jackets came in the fourth round, however. They selected a talented, but stocky and clunky skating defenseman from the QMJHL: David Savard. In hindsight, I'm not sure how he fell into the fourth round. But, at the time, it wasn't a very exciting pick.
David was traded in the QMJHL during his draft eligible season. Totaling 67 games split between Baie-Comeau and Moncton, he scored just 1 goal and 12 points; along with a -21 rating. Not exactly the kind of numbers that scream "NHL talent", even for a defenseman.
But the scouts in Columbus clearly saw something here. They took Savard in the middle round of the draft, and it paid off almost immediately. The next season, his production started to spike. He scored 9 goals and 44 points in 68 games; then followed it up by winning CHL defenseman of the year honors as a 19 year old, with 13 goals and 77 points in 64 games.
In my opinion, David is one of the best draft successes in franchise history for one reason (aside from his talent and adapatability): the Jackets allowed him to develop. He'd turned into a top prospect, and instead of dropping him straight into the NHL lineup, they gave him a chance to learn with parts of three seasons in the AHL.
As a result, they were rewarded with arguably the best drafted defenseman in franchise history. At least, for its first 15 years of its existence. If only they'd taken this approach with some of their other top prospects over the expansion years.
David would spend parts of 10 seasons in Columbus, playing in 597 games in Union Blue. While he never saw his offensive prowess from junior really carry over to the NHL; he became one of the premier second pairing shutdown guys of his generation, particularly under the guidance of coaches John Tortorella and Brad Shaw.
He was a vital piece of the Jackets team that saw a brief run of success in the late 2010s, highlighted by his 2016-17 campaign where he finished tied for third in the league with a +33 rating. He will also be a legend in Central Ohio for scoring one of the most memorable goals in franchise history:
David just announced his retirement early this spring, capping off a remarkable NHL career. Amongst 2009 draft picks, he sits 20th in games played (850). He also won a Stanley Cup. Not bad for a guy who looked like his skating would keep him from playing in the league.
Moving on, a current Blue Jacket falls on this list...