The Blue Jackets head into the 2018-19 season with plenty of uncertainty, but one position that is relatively set is the defense corps.
Despite the losses of Jack Johnson and Ian Cole via free agency, the club has five of its six defensemen already established on the opening night roster. Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, David Savard, Ryan Murray, and Markus Nutivaara make up an impressive, young, and talented group of blue-liners.
Most NHL teams choose to roster seven defensemen, so that an injured player could be easily and quickly replaced. Due to Werenski's lingering shoulder surgery, it wouldn't be out of the question for the Blue Jackets to start the year with eight defensemen on the roster. The obvious downside of dressing eight defensemen is that, alongside the two goaltenders, a team could only carry 13 forwards to stay compliant with the NHL's 23-man roster limit.
Regardless if the Blue Jackets take seven or eight defensemen, they'll have difficult decisions to make regarding the remaining spots. Here are the defensemen in the running for those spots:
Scott Harrington
Harrington's been playing in the NHL since 2014-15, but appeared in just 79 games, 54 of which have been in a Blue Jackets jersey.
He's been a good soldier for the club, and has filled an under-appreciated and often difficult role, sitting in the press box for the majority of games but also expected to perform at an NHL-caliber level at a moment's notice.
The left-hander's game is simple but not spectacular. His three goals and six assists are his career statistics, though he's seen his point total rise each of his four seasons in the league, from zero, to one, to three, to five. A year ago, he was 11th of 11 among the club's defensemen in CF% (5-on-5), with just 43.71% of all shot attempts favoring the Blue Jackets.
The 25-year-old is on a one-way contract, meaning he'll be paid the same in the NHL or if he were to be demoted to the AHL. Teams don't necessarily give preferential treatment to these players, but in the event of a tie, a player on a one-way contract will have the upper hand.
A quick note: Harrington must clear waivers to go to the AHL, and the odds of him being passed on by the other 30 teams is slim, at best.
Dean Kukan
Kukan, another left-handed 25-year-old, is a bit unheralded. He's played just 19 games at the NHL level but seems like he's always right on the cusp.
The Switzerland native received a vote of confidence from management this past spring when he signed a two-year, $1.45 million contract. More notably is that it's a one-way contract, so put him in the same camp as Harrington.
Kukan's a good-skating defenseman who's excelled at the AHL level. While Harrington was a brutal possession player in limited time, Kukan thrived, leading the club's defensemen (yes, including Werenski and Jones) with a 56.75 CF%. This could be the season he finally breaks through and finds himself as a full-time NHLer.
Gabriel Carlsson
Carlsson battled a bad back for much of the 2017-18 season. A year removed from making the jump from the SHL to the AHL and eventually to facing Sidney Crosby in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, the 6-foot-5 defender played just 47 games between Cleveland and Columbus, and didn't play a game with Columbus after Christmas.
The big Swede's size is something that Kukan and Harrington can't boast, and his skating is impressive for a man of his size. At age 21, Carlsson would benefit from playing games regularly – at either the AHL or NHL level. Unlike Kukan and Harrington, Carlsson is still on his entry-level contract and can be sent from the NHL to the AHL without waivers. That flexibility won't help the former first-round pick chances of making the big club.
As the preseason slate begins, it'll be interesting to keep an eye on these three players. At least one of them will find themselves on the outside looking in, and there doesn't appear to be an obvious leader in the clubhouse at this moment.
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