Not necessarily forgotten. Not necessarily the headliner. That was the acquisition of Jake Bean from the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blue Jackets picked Bean up for a second-round pick that was flipped from the Chicago Blackhawks in the Seth Jones trade. It was never labeled as a three-way trade but it could really be visualized that way.
Bean is a more finished product compared to the somewhat still raw Adam Boqvist. Bean has seen a fair amount of time in the AHL and then saw spotty action in the NHL before being traded. A big issue for Bean was the fact that he couldn't be trusted no matter where he was placed on the ice. For someone like Rod Brind'Amour that is a must-have for his defensive corps. Considering other defenseman development he was then viewed as expendable.
Looking at the Blue Jackets' own defensive core, they desperately needed someone like Bean in the pipeline. Werenski is a near-finished product despite being the same age but similarly, Andrew Peeke needs to be moved along slower than anticipated. Bean should be able to his footing in a bottom four pairing and move up in a pinch. That is worth a second-round pick every single day especially when you see the track record of Bean in the AHL. He was someone that could move the puck and put up points almost at will.
Where you begin to worry with Bean is whether or not his old Canes coach has a point and can't be trusted as an all-around defenseman. His relative numbers show that for a strong possession team like the Canes he is a negative. Technically a high-end negative but a negative all the same. Mentioning as well that he is mostly starting in the offensive zone. This is an overly simplistic view when also taking into account his PDO wasn't favorable toward him either.
Relying on him as a top option shouldn't be the plan of action for the Blue Jackets. They need to see how he fairs with someone like Dean Kukan or Vladislav Gavrikov first. Have him see time on the PK as well to see if there are other areas where they can find a contributor.
