The big question coming into Round 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft was where would the draft actually start? Everyone knew who the San Jose Sharks were taking. Most folks knew that the Chicago Blackhawks were considering two players max.
The Anaheim Ducks pick was pretty hard to pin down. The betting markets exploded earlier Friday when Zeev Buium’s name was in third-overall rumors. They still stunned most of the hockey world with their selection of Beckett Sennecke. However, trading the third pick was really never a thing.
The 2024 NHL Draft started with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Once the draft got past the Ducks, there were several rumblings that the fourth pick was in play.
Setting the Scene
Friday morning, there was a text on my phone about the potential of the Blue Jackets on Friday night. The text simply said “could be an explosive day for the Blue Jackets today.” Fourth overall was a pick several teams targeted for a potential deal.
Throughout the course of Thursday and into Friday, we started hearing who some of these teams were. The Philadelphia Flyers were mentioned by both TSN and Sportsnet to varying degrees as to what was being offered. The 32 Thoughts Podcast went on to mention the Carolina Hurricanes with a package around Martin Necas.
Then after the first round was over, Pierre LeBrun dropped a bomb of a post when he said the Chicago Blackhawks tried trading for fourth overall after picking second.
With all the hype that the Blackhawks were considering Ivan Demidov second overall, it seemed they wanted to get him had they acquired the fourth pick. The package to the Blue Jackets would have involved an unprotected 2025 first rounder. Given that the Blackhawks are still in the midst of building up, that’s a bold deal to try and make given it could be top-10 in a pretty deep 2025 draft.
But through it all, it was the Blue Jackets that said no to everything thrown their way. When it was their turn to make their pick fourth, they stepped up to the podium and selected their highest rated player behind Macklin Celebrini. That was 6-foot-3 center Cayden Lindstrom.
Lindstrom Was Blue Jackets’ Priority All Along
GM Don Waddell spoke to both Blue Jackets’ radio and also to the assembled media after the first round. In both instances, he said that there was a backup plan had Lindstrom not been available.
Waddell also reiterated the need to get this pick right. On Lindstrom, Waddell said “You’re not gonna get this kind of player at whatever the number is, 15 or something like that. That was important for us.”
In the end, the Blue Jackets chose Lindstrom over any trade packages thrown their way. There was suspicion at the Combine the Blue Jackets were very high on him. They were seen closely watching his fitness testing. They took him and a couple other forwards out to dinner.
Given the need for high-end centers with size, skill and speed, it was reasonable to believe he was a Blue Jackets’ target all along. The two wildcards were Lindstrom’s health and where other players fit on the team’s final draft list.
Lindstrom at the Combine said that he was good to go. He was working out 5-6 days per week and was skating 3-4 days per week. Teams had access to the medicals with most feeling comfortable with where everything was at.
The Blue Jackets now boast one of the better young center-ice cores in the NHL with Lindstrom joining Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger. Suddenly not only is there speed and skill, there’s size down the middle. The potential to lock up center ice for many years was too great to pass up.
Lindstrom was the Blue Jackets’ priority all along.
Trade Talk
Two things here on trades. Had Lindstrom been taken in the top-three, Waddell said they had a backup plan to complete a trade, likely someone who wanted Demidov. It’s an interesting admission. It says that they thought a trade down would be the best play even if Demidov was available.
With a good number of draft experts believing Demidov to be the second-most talented player in the draft, it’s extremely interesting to see the Blue Jackets perhaps didn’t feel this way. The one thing the organization does have is several young wingers. Maybe that was part of their reasoning. We’ll never know.
In addition, depending on what the actual return was, the Blue Jackets might have had a pick a few spots lower in the first round. That would have been prime position to take one of the top defenders. All of Buium, Dickinson and Parekh fell out of the top-eight. It truly was Lindstrom or bust for the Blue Jackets on Friday night.
The other part to this trade discussion is what else might be coming. Waddell told Dylan Tyrer “We’ve got a lot of things cooking.” With Day 2 of the draft starting Saturday morning, we could see some trade activity league-wide involving bigger-name players.
The Blue Jackets already traded Alex Texier on Friday. They couldn’t justify playing more than $2 million per season to someone projected to be a bottom-six fixture on their roster. They got a 2025 fourth rounder back from the Blues in that deal.
Other RFA’s are potentially available. Patrik Laine could be dealt, although that could be trickier since he’s still in the program. He can be traded while in the program, however no one can speak to him personally.
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Waddell said that we could see 5-6 new faces in the Blue Jackets’ lineup when the new season opens. That leaves the door open for more trade activity. It’s just a matter of seeing if any of it comes to fruition.
The team elected to keep the 36th pick so it appears they have a player they like on their list who’s available. They start Day 2 with six picks. Waddell’s phone should be busy.
The Blue Jackets spent Friday night at the Sphere reshaping their roster while adding a core piece at center ice. No trade was good enough for them to move away from Lindstrom. That’s what will be remembered about the early part of the 2024 NHL Draft from a Blue Jackets’ standpoint.
