Hello CBJ fans! CBJProspects and myself will taking some time during the draft today to post our thoughts on all the picks, trades, rumors, and general happenings of today’s NHL draft. The Jackets are currently sitting on three first round picks, a wealth of cap space, and are now shopping the rights to Sergei Bobrovsky. With all that in play, Columbus looks to be one of the more exciting teams to watch on this fine Sunday. I encourage everyone to follow along and leave your opinions and/or questions in the comments. Check out all our thoughts after the jump, starting around 2:30 (unless something crazy happens before then).
The Coach (2:52pm): And we are live! Couple trades going down already. Rangers and Wild make a deep depth move (Justin Falk for Benn Ferrierio and a 6th rounder). Bigger deal is San Jose trading their 50th overall pick for RFA to be Tyler Kennedy. Dreger reported earlier in the day that San Jose was looking for forward depth, and looks like this is it. Solid move both ways it seems with Pitt clearing cap room for the Letang deal and San Jose grabbing a legit top nine forward.
The Coach (2:58pm): In case you missed it:
Bobrovsky being offered to teams by the Blue Jackets. Told he wants $6 mil per. Columbus in market for a goalie.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 30, 2013
Blue Jackets very close on a new deal with goalie Sergei Bobrovsky…
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) June 30, 2013
The Coach (3:00pm): If you are looking for some last second reading, check out the CBJ mock drafts put together by CBJProspects and myself, as well as our first round mock for the entire league.
CBJProspects (3:09pm): Avs already taking longer than I thought they would to get on stage
The Coach (3:10pm): Avs pick MacKinnon. Not a smokescreen I guess. So who moves out from the Avs now? Stastny? O’Reilly? I would definitely have interest in them if I were the CBJ. Johnson or Wiz for one of them?
The Coach (3:16pm): Is this where Jones goes then? Or Drouin? Or maybe Barkov? Panthers just have so many holes.
CBJProspects (3:18pm): We have our first semi shock of the draft let the wackiness begin
The Coach (3:19pm): Wow, they do go Barkov. I kind of get it, as they need a go to centre, Barkov is a beast, and forwards are better bets high in the draft than defensemen. So Jones giftwrapped to Tampa then? Or do they go Drouin anyway? I’d have to think Jones based on Tampa’s roster, but there defense isn’t any worse than Florida or Colorado.
The Coach (3:22pm): Drouin! Really really looking forward to watching Drouin setup Stammer for one-t’s. Holy crap that will be insane.
CBJProspects (3:23pm): Your scary thought of the day picture Jones and Weber together in say 3 years.
The Coach (3:23pm): So Jones to Nashville. Weber-Jones is insane. Glad they are out of the CBJ’s division now.
The Coach (3:28pm): Okay now what? Those guys were pretty much hands down top four (at least in my opinion). Nischuskin is probably the most talented player left, but his KHL commitment is scary. And Dreger has reported that they have been talking a ton, could we see a trade?
CBJProspects (3:28pm): Ok now what the heck is Carolina gonna do here?
CBJProspects (3:28pm): Teams with pick 1-3 are getting a gift basket from David Poile on Tuesday
CBJProspects (3:32pm): No idea who Carolina is taking
The Coach (3:33pm): Lindholm was the safe pick there. A solid, complete player, already playing against men. Not really a home run swing though. Does Nischuskin fall? Or does Feaster take a chance on him?
CBJProspects (3:36pm): Lindholm a semi shock but that that goofy Russian factor
The Coach (3:37pm): A little surprised we haven’t seen any more trades yet. Maybe it’s just a reflection of this draft. So deep, so everyone feels fine staying put, confident someone they like will fall to them.
The Coach (3:40pm): Another safe pick up high. Thought they might take a swing, considering the Jankowski pick last year.
CBJProspects (3:41pm): No shock at Monahan to Calgary every mock I saw had him going there. Now let’s watch Edmonton take a forward
The Coach (3:43pm): So sounds like Feaster thinks Monahan could play next season. Interesting.
The Coach (3:44pm): Nurse has to be the pick here, unless they want to pull an Avs and draft a forward, then deal a current forward for defense.
The Coach (3:45pm): That is a sweet, sweet fro.
The Coach (3:46pm): Glad they picked Nurse. I’m a big fan of his, and think he’ll be the perfect partner for Schultz.
The Coach (3:47pm): Look at Scotty Howson right in there for the pic.
CBJProspects (3:48pm): Shock of shock the Oilers take a Dman for probably the first time since the 70s. Buffalo has to take Nichushkin right?
The Coach (3:48pm): Nichushkin could be a very very good fit with Grigorenko. Two big, dynamic Russians.
The Coach (3:51pm): I don’t think MacT knows what a premonition is.
The Coach (3:52pm): Ristolainen. Can’t say I fault the Sabres on that one, as they need defense pretty badly.
CBJProspects (3:52pm): HOLY S! That’s the shock of the draft right now
CBJProspects (3:54pm): Your new scary thought Ristolainen and Myers together in a few years
The Coach (3:55pm): That doesn’t scare me very much, mostly because I don’t think Myers is very good.
The Coach (3:55pm): We have a trade! And strangely, it doesn’t even involve any draft picks. The El Nino from the Islanders to the Wild for every CBJ fans favorite opponent, Cal Clutterbuck. He’s still in the Jackets division!
The Coach (3:58pm): WOW. WOW WOW WOW. Schneider to New Jersey for the 9th overall pick! Good god. Sooooo who does Vancouver take here? Do they grab Nischuskin?
The Coach (4:00pm): So Brodeur-Schneider for a year, then Schneider takes over? That is a lot of cash in their nets this year. Luongo and Lack in Vancouver now? With this crazy move, what else goes on in the goalie carousel? Does Edmonton maybe make a huge offer for Bob, if the Jackets are indeed shopping him?
CBJProspects (4:02pm): Wow host team doesn’t have a pick now. Not that there complaining about getting Schnieder
The Coach (4:03pm): Canucks pick Horvat. Sad trombone. I love Horvat. Really thought he’d be a perfect fit in Columbus.
CBJProspects (4:04pm): Darn! I knew his play in the playoffs helped this but still would’ve taken him in a heartbeat
The Coach (4:09pm): Mike Modano, Executive Advisor Advisor. Does that mean he advises their advisors?
The Coach (4:10pm): Dallas takes Nischuskin. Will be interesting to see when he comes over. Dallas is a team who really needed to take a shot at a future star, and Nischuskin is has by far the most upside of anyone left.
CBJProspects (4:10pm): BPA right pick for Dallas
CBJProspects (4:11pm): Oh boy here comes some goofiness the Flyers are on the clock
The Coach (4:15pm): Seems high for Morin. He’s a pretty big project and has basically no offensive upside. Bad pick this high in the draft.
The Coach (4:17pm): How do you not go Zadorov, if you want a big, tough, defensive d-man? Zadorov at least has a hint of offensive potential.
CBJProspects (4:17pm): Wow Morin is bigger is Homer yikes
The Coach (4:20pm): So I have officially decided that Gillis is stupid. Oilers and Flames had to pay more to get Schneider because they are in the same division? So stupid. If you get more in a trade, then your team is now better. If you think Schneider is that good, then trade him in the division so he can help lower the points of every other team in your division. And you are now better than the deal they took.
The Coach (4:22pm): Coyotes take Domi. Another guy I would have loved for the Jackets. Tons of skill, tons of heart, top six skill, with bottom six grit.
The Coach (4:28pm): Morrissey goes pretty early. I really like him. Seems a bit early, but he’s got the kind of upside you want this high in the draft. Wish he had of fallen to the Jackets, but I wouldn’t have picked him at 14.
The Coach (4:30pm): Will Shinkaruk go to the Jackets? I really really hope so. With no Horvat or Domi on the board, Shinkaruk would be perfect. A sniper who plays the CBJ type game, and is constantly praised for his leadership, work ethic, etc. Really hope he’s the pick. I never would have ever thought he’d last this long.
The fourth team in on Cory Schneider was Columbus. So it was NJ-Edmonton-Columbus-Calgary as Final four. Philly nibbled but not long
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) June 30, 2013
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe Coach (4:32pm): Interesting tweet from LeBrun there. Guess they really are shopping Bob.
The Coach (4:34pm): Wennberg. Not thrilled with that.
The Coach (4:35pm): Old player, projects on the third line. Ugh. Shinkaruk has top line upside, will be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL. So he’s small, big deal. I really hope I’m wrong on this. Jarmo knows Europe though. Maybe he’s seen something there.
The Coach (4:42pm): The Isles are gonna have a pretty damn solid d-corps in a few years. Reinhart-Pulock would be very very good pairing.
The Coach (4:46pm): Wow that was very quick. No intro, no thanks, I love it. Oh, and the Zadorov pick is pretty solid. Please Shinkaruk, make it to 19th.
The Coach (4:52pm): Senators go for Lazar. A little earlier than most had him pegged. A lot of people had him going to the Blue Jackets with one of the two later 1sts.
CBJProspects (4:53pm): Wennberg will play for Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League and will join Oscar Dansk at Team Sweden’s camp for Lake Placid
The Coach (4:55pm): Red Wings drop back two spots and pick up a 2nd rounder. That is a pretty high price to pay. So the Sharks obviously have someone targeted? I hope it’s not Shinkaruk, but I doubt it.
The Coach (4:58pm): Sharks pick Mueller! Strange they dealt up for him. So hopefully the Jackets go Shinkaruk here. I wouldn’t hate Mantha at 19th either. Or maybe they deal it for a current NHLer. Options options options.
The Coach (5:03pm): Wow. Rychel. I don’t hate picking Rychel, would have loved him with the later 1st. Can’t believe Shinkaruk is still falling. Only real top line talent left. Aaaaand he’s probably going to Detroit. Of course he is.
The Coach (5:05pm): So another 3rd liner for the CBJ. I just don’t get it. Take a freaking swing with one of these picks. Two safe picks so far. Take a swing. This team needs top line talent, not more of what they already have.
The Coach (5:06pm): I’m a little skeptical on Mantha. He’s like a day away from being in last years draft, and he was unimpressive in his prior year.
The Coach (5:12pm): Classic Toronto. Big kid, big project. He’s got some skill, but seems like he’s a way off.
The Coach (5:17pm): Feaster goes off the board again. Really shocked they didn’t pick the hometown kid Shinkaruk. Okay, I swear I’m going to stop talking about him now (until he gets picked of course). This pick really reminds me of the Jankowski pick. Guessing Calgary is picking projects, hoping to grab McDavid in two years…
The Coach (5:23pm): Caps go with one of the fastest skaters in the draft, picked by the fastest drafting team. McPhee doesn’t want to be there all night I guess.
The Coach (5:27pm): So with Shinkaruk, Zykov, Hartman, Erne, Compher all still on the board, there is a legit top nine forward prospect who would be a good fit available at 27. Or do they look to d for this one? Hagg and Theodore are still out there too. I would be good with any of those picks I think.
The Coach (5:30pm): Shinkaruk finally goes, to the Canucks. Scored 86 goals over the last two seasons. That is a lot of biscuits in baskets. He could be a very interesting fit with the Sedins in a year or two. Probably won’t be in the NHL next year, but doubt he’s much further away than that.
The Coach (5:31pm): I think I’m hoping for Hartman at 27th, with Shinkaruk off the board.
The Coach (5:34pm): I like thanks too, Bergevin.
The Coach (5:35pm): Mike McCarron. Interesting. Seems a little early for him, especially with Hagg and Theodore still on the board. Guess they really wanted the size. Not sure he has the upside, when you look at the upsides of Hagg and Theodore. And they already have Tinordi! That could be a very very scary pairing in the future. Both will probably end up around 6’6″, 230lbs, both are physical.
The Coach (5:37pm): Oops, McCarron is a forward. Never mind. I’m pretty clearly getting punchy.
The Coach (5:41pm): Ducks go with Theodore. Interesting landing spot for him. Oozes offense from the backend, but they already have Cam Fowler. Can you really run with two one dimensional, no defense defensemen? Maybe they’ll pair them together. Controlled Chaos 2: West Coast Edition.
The Coach (5:43pm): So Hartman is who I’d be looking at here, or Hagg if they really want to go defense. Although I’d be good with Zykov, as he seems to probably have the most upside. A future third line of Rychel-Jener-Hartman would be the most difficult line to play against in the entire NHL.
The Coach (5:48pm): Underwhelmed again. Dammit Jarmo, you better be better at this than I feel like right now. Really seems like he’d have been there at 44. Another player I would have liked for the CBJ, but with a later pick.
The Coach (5:50pm): For the record, I would have taken Shinkaruk at 14, Wennberg or Mantha at 19, then Hartman at 27. Wouldn’t have hated Dano at 44. NHL Draft Site had Dano as a 5th round pick, 123rd overall.
The Coach (5:53pm): Oh and Dano is old too. Another late ’94. All three of the Jackets first round picks are late ’94’s.
The Coach (5:57pm): I bring that up, as late 94’s end up playing almost all of their draft year as a year older than most of the players in the draft class. There is so much development occurring during the teenage years, so you really need to be looking at the year earlier for the older players in the draft. It’s another part of what is so impressive about MacKinnon and Barkov. Both are two of the youngest players in the draft.
The Coach (6:01pm): While I’ve been stewing about the Dano pick, the Flames picked Klimchuk and the Stars picked Dickinson. Two solid two-way guys, not bad picks but maybe a couple too high. Wonder is Hartman is the Hawks pick here.
The Coach (6:03pm): Hartman goes to his hometown Blackhawks. Pretty good pick for them. A real good fit with the guys they have now. I think he can play in the top six. Skilled enough to play with them
The Coach (6:04pm): So let’s see how I did in my first round mock draft. Aaaand terrible. Hit Drouin to the Lightning, Nurse to the Oilers, and Lazar to the Senators.
The Coach (6:08pm): But hey, at least I beat CBJProspects! He only got Drouin to the Lightning and Theodore to the Ducks.
The Coach (6:13pm): Hoping Petan makes it to the 44th pick, and hoping the Jackets actually take him if he does.
The Coach (6:15pm): Alright, the first round is done, and I think I am as well. Over three hours of brain-typing-posting. I’ll be back sometime this week to post a draft day recap and a free agency preview.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
