You can count me amongst the fans who would rather see the Columbus Blue Jackets trade one or both of their first round picks at this year's draft. My belief is that they will get greater value in the form of immediate help, as opposed to a couple of prospects that would be several years away from making an impact. But, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Let's look at what the ideal haul would be if they keep both first round picks.
At #14 overall, they should have some pretty good options still on the board. This year's draft is pretty top heavy, and unless they were to find a way into the top 6 or 7 picks, I don't think it's going to matter if they're drafting 8th, or 14th, or even 18th. It becomes a bit of a gamble after the first half dozen or so players.
This feels like a year where some teams are going to have a guy inside of their top-10; while others don't have him inside of their top-32. What that means for the Jackets (especially the post-Jarmo Kekalainen Jackets) will remain to be seen. But, I do think they'll be looking specifically at a defenseman here. Whichever one they have ranked the highest, that's still on the board at #14.
Looking at some of the general rankings via eliteprospects.com, I think it's safe to say that it won't be Matthew Schaefer. He's the best defenseman in the class, and is the odds on favorite to go first overall. After that, however, I don't think there's enough of a gap between the next few guys on the list to call anyone a clear #2 best defenseman in the draft.
Any one of Jackson Smith, Logan Hensler, Radim Mrtka, or even Kashawn Aitcheson could be the second defenseman picked this year. They are all in that second tier, and they may be picked in any order based solely on what teams need for their blue line.
Smith probably has the highest upside of the group, so he is most likely to be coveted and may go inside the top-10. At 6'3" and 190 pounds; he already has a pro ready frame and plays the game not unlike our own Denton Mateychuk. He's elusive, isn't afraid to play with the puck, and can make plays when he has it. If he were to fall into our laps at #14, that would be a big draft day win. Smith has a pretty high ceiling; but even if he doesn't reach it, I think he will play in the NHL.
Logan Hensler is a similar type of player, but with a different upside in my opinion. I think he has a much lower ceiling than Smith, but he may have a higher floor. He's a right shot, which we know to be highly coveted around the NHL. He also has good size (6'2", 195lbs), and is a good skater who keeps his gaps tight and defends well. He has a lot of the tools the Blue Jackets need right now, so it's hard to say this would be a bad pick.
If the goal is to get bigger on the blue line, look no further than Radim Mrtka. At 6'6" and 220 pounds, he's one of the largest players available at this year's draft. He's a surprisingly good skater for a guy his size, with the long reach and requisite physicality that teams drool over. There's not a ton of offensive upside here, but that's fine. His size, skating, and ability to defend will make him a reliable #3/4 defenseman at some point. And, he's a right shot.
Kashawn Aitcheson is the smallest of this group at 6'1", 190 pounds - but he's also the meanest. He's more of a punishing checker than the other guys in this range, and he brings a little bit of offense to the mix as well. In some regards, he's not unlike current prospect Stanislav Svozil: a guy who will step up and make the play or throw the big hit. The problem is, sometimes that costs him his positioning. Like Stan, this is a player who will probably need a lot of seasoning in the AHL.
How would I rate them?
By order of priority and how they would benefit the Blue Jackets, I would rank them as follows:
1. Jackson Smith
2. Radim Mrtka
3. Logan Hensler
4. Kashawn Aitcheson
Smith is going to be the best value of the four, but coming away with Mrtka would be great as well. If it comes down to Hensler or Aitcheson, in my opinion, they may be better off drafting a different player here. Both of those guys scream bottom pairing defenseman to me, which isn't terrible. But, is that really what you want with a top-15 pick? Reverting to "best player available regardless of position" would be my preference.
Let's look at the 20th overall selection on the next slide.