Previously I looked things the Blue Jackets should avoid at the draft, today I take a look things to accomplish.
- Draft a Defencemen at Eight
This ties into my last post about not trading up. A very good player will be available at eight. Much like CBJ Prospects in his recent mock, I would take Ivan Provorov if he’s on the board. If not, and I have said this numerous times I would take happily take Zach Werenski. I’m also a big fan of Oliver Kylington and last week suggested he wouldn’t be a crazy pick at this spot either.
The Blue Jackets system needs a high end defensive prospect. With Mike Reilly leaving they don’t have a guy with top pairing upside in the system. Those players are almost impossible to get on the free agent market and even harder to trade for. The place to get them is in the top of the draft. Columbus should not be passing up on this opportunity.
The drafting philosophy should always be take the best player available and do not draft for need. Columbus is in a perfect spot as the arguable best player available, whether it be Provorov, Werenski or even Kylington, will fit their needs.
- Draft a Smaller Skilled Forward Who Falls
In recent history, Columbus has been great at finding NHL players later in the draft. The problem is that for the most part they have all been grinders (Dorsett, Sestito, Boll, Anderson, Prout). While nothing is wrong with that, grinders can be found pretty easily and cheaply on the free agent market. The team should be looking to hit a home run, much like they did with Cam Atkinson back in 2008, when they nabbed him in the 6th round, 157th overall.
Cam fell in the draft for one reason and one reason only: his size. It is extremely likely that if he was 6’2 instead of 5’8, he would have been a first round pick easily. Every year players like this fall. Last year it was Spencer Watson and Vladimir Tkachev. Both scored over a point per game in the OHL and QMJHL respectively. Watson fell to the second last pick in the draft, 209th overall, while Tkachev wasn’t drafted at all.
This year the players who fit this bill will be Kirill Kaprizov, and Dante Salituro. Salituro is highly skilled, scoring over a point per game in the OHL. Kaprizov spent the entire season playing in the KHL, putting up eight points in 31 games. Eight points doesn’t look like a lot, but it is the highest in the KHL for an under-18 player since the 08-09 season when Vladimir Tarasenko had ten. These players have the potential be home runs for a team willing to bet on the skill set and look past what they lack in size.
- Draft a Goalie Late
Again this point ties into my last post where I suggested not picking a goalie with a top 90 pick. Goalies are voodoo. They come from all places all over the world. Of the top 20 goalies by save percentage this season eight were drafted lower than pick 90. Compare that to the top 20 point producers where just three players went after pick 90.
I’m of the mindset of drafting a goalie every year and seeing what happens. If they perform well, great! Sign them and keep developing them. If not, don’t sign them and move on to the next goalie. The goal of this is to provide your team with a steady stream of goalies. By doing this you can keep costs down as, if a guy gets really good, you can trade him and bring up the next guy.
A couple names to keep on eye include Michael McNiven and Veini Vehvilainen. McNiven posted a .914 SV% playing for the Owen Sound Attack (OHL) and Vehvilainen put up a .917 SV% playing for the JYP (Mestis).
- Not let the Mike Reilly Situation Affect The Draft Plan
Don’t be hesitant to take college-bound players out of fear they may pull a Mike Reilly. Now, I don’t think the front office will do that, but I have seen some fans mentioning this so I feel like it needs to be addressed. The situation with Reilly is very rare, and sure it sucks, but it should not deter the team form selecting BCHL players or USHL players or whoever. Take who you think is the best player available regardless of where they play their hockey.
You can find me tweeting @PaulBerthelot
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