Mortgaging the future for current results wasn't great for the Blue Jackets' prospect pool.
That's why The Athletic's Corey Pronman ranked the Blue Jackets' farm system 25th out of 31 NHL clubs. Interestingly, the Blue Jackets' system was ranked 25th last year, too.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen made trades at the deadline that sent away picks and prospects, leaving the Blue Jackets with just two picks in the 2019 NHL draft (one of which was acquired on draft day).
It's no surprise that Pronman has Emil Bemstrom and Alexandre Texier at the top of his list of NHL-caliber prospects. Bemstrom and Texier have legitimate top-six talent and skill, and they most likely will have a chance to show it to the organization at some point next season. Both will be aiming to make the NHL team out of training camp.
The Blue Jackets may have lost a chunk of draft picks and prospects, but Pronman's list of the top ten under-23 players in the Blue Jackets' organization should be enough to make any fan excited for the future.
Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under)
1. Zach Werenski, D (22)
2. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C (21)
3. Emil Bemstrom, RW (20)
4. Alexandre Texier, C (19)
5. Kirill Marchenko, RW (19)
6. Daniil Tarasov, G (20)
7. Liam Foudy, C (19)
8. Sonny Milano, LW (23)
9. Dmitri Voronkov, C (18)
10. Trey Fix-Wolansky, RW (20)
You can read the full analysis here if you have a subscription to The Athletic.
