As move our way deeper into the top 10, here is our No. 8-ranked Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, Swedish defenseman Gabriel Carlsson.
Reason for Ranking
A former first-round draft pick, defenseman Gabriel Carlsson came in with a high pedigree. Adding in that the Blue Jackets traded up to select him, it makes the pick all the more perplexing. Fair or unfair, he has needed to live up to his billing and hasn't had much to show for it.
Carlsson has played 16 NHL games and hasn't done anything to stick out during that time. He was mostly used on the bottom pairing during limited action in 2017-18, and it looks like if he does graduate to the NHL, he will be a mainstay there.
Dan had Carlsson the highest at No. 7, Paul had him at No. 10 and I had him at No. 11. Collectively, we don't think Carlsson will reach his high potential.
NHL Projection
Bottom-four defenseman.
Even before he was drafted and just looking at the pathway that Carlsson took to the league, you could immediately tell the type of player that he was going to be. He wasn't going to be a player that lights up the score sheet. You knew he was going to be steady and not do anything to jeopardize your team.
That is a fine pick and just fine for a later round draft pick but to move up and select him it was always interesting. He has the tools to make the jump to the league, but it will be a combination of opportunity and luck for him to become a mainstay in the NHL within the next season. He's still waiver exempt, so it doesn't make a lot of sense letting him sit in the NHL if he isn't going to play.
His pathway to Columbus might be longer than many would have hoped.
Best Case Scenario
Your hope when you select someone like Carlsson is that you are going to get a Niklas Hjalmarsson type of player. Those types of players are tough to project but even then, the projectable stats around Hjalmarsson were better than what Carlsson put up. That is your hope for Carlsson, but you may be grasping at straws hoping they become similar players.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Carlsson's best tools are his natural attributes. He is long and he can skate. He's able to close well but for someone his size, he isn't overly physical. He is a "tweener" in a lot of cases and it feels like he isn't filling a particular role. If you're going to have a player like this, your hope is an all-around game but if Carlsson can become an elite penalty killer or a zone exit monster, he could become that player in the NHL. As of right now, he is just fine at many skills and it isn't any wonder he hasn't made the full-time jump to the next level.
