The Columbus Blue Jackets held their pre-draft availability in Nashville on Tuesday afternoon in advance of the 2023 NHL Draft which starts on Wednesday night. GM Jarmo Kekalainen spoke to the media for over 20 minutes on a wide-range of topics mostly centered around the draft itself.
Here are our seven takeaways from that availability. One thing is abundantly clear. It will prove to be an important day in Blue Jackets’ franchise history.
The 3rd Pick
Keep it or trade it? That’s what many want to know when it comes to the Blue Jackets’ plans with the third-overall pick. The expectation coming into the week was that the Blue Jackets would make the pick.
At the NHL Combine in Buffalo, Kekalainen said he got offers but there wasn’t nothing even close to consider a trade. That has not changed in Nashville this week either.
“We’ve had a few phone calls from teams that wanted to either move up or try a trade, a real good NHL player for the third pick,” Kekalainen said. “But nothing’s been even close to what would make us trade that pick and I doubt there would be. So I’m 99.9% sure that we’ll make the pick.”
Trading Up From Third
Conversely, the Blue Jackets could have interest in moving up from third to second if the Anaheim Ducks think they could get their player at three while gaining other assets. While the possibility was left open, it seems the Ducks could stay at two.
“I think that it’s a pretty close right there after the first pick,” Kekalainen said. “I think we all know who the first pick is going to be or have a very, very good guess the high percentage. So at three, we’re confident that we’re going to get a great player as well.”
“But if there’s a reasonable price to move up from three to two to make certain who we’re getting, then I guess we would entertain that. But I think you’d have to ask Anaheim. I think they’re pretty comfortable at two as well.
Matvei Michkov
The Blue Jackets were expected to have a meeting with top prospect Matvei Michkov this week in Nashville. However there was no meeting and there isn’t expected to be one before the draft according to Kekalainen. Per Aaron Portzline of the Athletic, there was a meeting scheduled but a conflict came up.
Kekalainen gave his quick assessment of Michkov. “He’s a talented player. I’ve said that many times. He’s been seen as an underage and he’s been watched on video a lot. (It’s) obviously hard to see him live. He’s a great talent. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Michkov appears to have never been in the conversation for third overall. But he will be a big story as round one begins.
The 34th Pick
The Blue Jackets own the second pick of the second round come Thursday. Many consider this an important spot as some potential first-round talent may have fallen for one reason or another.
According to Director of Amateur Scouting Ville Siren, the Blue Jackets can land a good player with this pick. Kekalainen hasn’t received calls on that pick yet, but thinks those will come after the first round.
“I think that happens usually closer to the draft,” Kekalainen said about those calls. “If somebody is willing to give you a roster player for the 34th pick, then they probably will make those calls and see if that would make us make a decision. I would expect that there’s going to be a lot of calls from teams that would want to move up to 34 and then we’ll have to see what’s available on our list at the time of the pick and make a decision whether we want to keep the pick or move back.”
“Or we could also try to package something together and try to move and get another second or first-round pick with adding something to 34th. But teams are reluctant to get out of the first round. There are some teams that have multiple firsts so that could happen where they could get more ammunition a little bit later in the draft. But we’ll see.”
Adding a Center to the Roster?
We know the Blue Jackets will draft a center on Wednesday night. But will they be able to add one to the NHL roster in the coming days or beyond? The team is certainly looking.
“I think we’re always looking for ways to get the team better. I think with the center position, it’s one of the toughest to play on the team. Ultimately, you want to have guys that you’re certain that are going to be able to play center and play the matchups against the good teams on both ends of the ice and take the faceoffs and all defensive responsibilities. It can go either way when you’re hoping somebody can play center.”
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“I think what we’re looking at right now is that we want to be certain with the center position. That means we’re always looking for ways to get better and improve our team in that department.”
This was Kekalainen’s answer when I asked him if he’d be happy with the center depth if they made no moves. They’re looking. The question will be can they find a viable solution.
Goaltending Depth
Suddenly, the Blue Jackets have questions in net. We know Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov will have their shot on the NHL roster. The team may elect to add a veteran to the mix in case something were to happen.
But beyond Merzlikins and Tarasov, while there are goaltending prospects at different points in the organization, the depth isn’t as strong. Kekalainen usually targets a goalie sometime in the draft. Will they look at one as early as pick 34?
“You always go to the draft looking at what the list looks like and we slot goalies a little bit different than any other position,” Kekalainen said. “We go by the rounds and the top goalies get slotted into the first and the next tier into the second or third and so forth. I think it’s the most important position. You want to make sure that your depth chart is in good order and you got some goalies developing at different stages of their career…I think there’s going to be some good goalies available and at the right time, there’s a good chance we’ll pick one.”
Extending Kent Johnson
Kent Johnson is eligible to sign an extension starting on July 1. Given his good rookie season and where his upside is, you wonder if the Blue Jackets will try to lock him up as soon as possible. Here’s what Kekalainen had to say about Johnson.
“We’re going to have those talks and we’re going to see where we are at cap wise moving into the future and what makes the best sense for us. But I’ve always believed that players have to earn their long-term contracts and their long-term money. He’s had a great first season and now we want him to do it again.”
“Whether we lock him up earlier or a little bit later, we’ll weigh in on what we need to do as far as our future goes with the salary cap. I’m sure their side is going to do the same thing. But we know that Kent Johnson’s going to be a big part of our future and we’re going to make sure that he feels that way too that he’s appreciated.”
