The Blue Jackets were quite high on William Karlsson when they acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks two years ago.
In a deal that sent James Wisniewski to California, GM Jarmo Kekalainen wanted the young Swedish center included. They felt he could slot right into their lineup and play a larger role than he was with the Ducks, with time split between the NHL and AHL Norfolk.
Karlsson blossomed into a reliable, two-way player under Todd Richards and even further under the tutelage of John Tortorella, who took a liking to Karlsson right away. Karlsson, who is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights after being selected in the expansion draft on Wednesday night, was the lead penalty-killing center for the Blue Jackets during their 50-win, 108-point season in 2016-17.
His loss leaves a void in the middle of the ice, but the Blue Jackets should feel some comfort knowing they have capable players ready to take on more responsibility and assume some of the duties once handled by Karlsson.
The first name that comes to mind is Lukas Sedlak.
Sedlak was a sixth-round pick of the Blue Jackets under Scott Howson back in 2011 and flew under the radar of most fans and media types while plying his trade in the QMJHL with Chicoutimi.
At one point, it seemed unsettled if he would continue on in the organization, but Sedlak found a home with the Lake Erie Monsters and made a name for himself once he broke into pro hockey.
The 2015-16 playoffs were, without question, Sedlak’s thunderous arrival. Not only did his performance play a pivotal role in the Monsters’ first-ever Calder Cup championship, his name rocketed up the list of prospects who would be considered for NHL duty in the coming training camp.
How’s this for a season split? Sedlak scored 14 goals and 18 points in 54 games with the Monsters that year; in the playoffs, he scored nine goals and totaled 16 points in 17 playoff games. Needless to say, he proved he was ready for the next step.
Said training camp was the first as Blue Jackets coach for Tortorella, who spent part of camp coaching Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.
While it looked like Sedlak would be hard-pressed to crack the roster – the team had Alexander Wennberg, Brandon Dubinsky, William Karlsson and Gregory Campbell on its depth chart with Pierre-Luc Dubois lurking – he worked his way into the picture and kept getting preseason game action.
When the final roster was sent to the NHL before opening night, Sedlak’s name was on it.
It took a bit before he became a lineup regular, but Sedlak found a way to make his teammates better once he got a chance. His line, a fourth line with Scott Hartnell on the left side and Sam Gagner on the right, was one of the Blue Jackets’ top puck possession trios throughout the regular season.
Here’s what Tortorella said about Sedlak during the Stanley Cup playoffs, when Sedlak had to miss time due to an injury:
“No one talks about him – I'm thrilled where he's come to. Watching him in the Calder Cup last year and where he is now...we're going to miss him. But I start thinking ahead of what he's going to be and he's going to be a very important player in this organization.”
Tortorella began to use Sedlak on the penalty kill and it was a success. Slowly but surely, he grew into his own at the NHL level.
And so, while the Blue Jackets are down a center with Karlsson’s departure, they have a solid young player (Sedlak turned 24 in February) who appears ready for more.
If the past is any indication, Sedlak will thrive.
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