If you're a frequent visitor to us, the last couple of weeks have been full of players that the Columbus Blue Jackets are likely scouting in an effort to make the best possible choices in July's NHL Draft.
And, with the 6th and 12th overall picks in a balanced draft like this one, the two players that become Blue Jackets on July 7th could go a long way in setting the pace of the franchise for years to come.
So, what do the experts, talking heads, and those in the know think about Columbus' pair of top dozen picks? We've browsed about the internet for you and collected mock draft results from coast to coast.
NHL.com
The big dogs lead us off in exploring the mocks. This mock features picks from NHL.com writers Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale, and both agree that the Blue Jackets select Cutter Gauthier with the first of their two first-rounders. Gauthier should make an easy transition into the NHL. There's a disagreement at #12, with Kimelman going Jimmy Snuggerud and Morreale with Swedish center Marco Kasper. The two do agree that it's all forwards in round one for Columbus, though.
The Hockey Writers
Mark Scheig, a familiar name for many 5th Liners, makes the Columbus picks for THW and goes with an offensive (in a good way) burst for the Blue Jackets, with Columbus selecting Matthew Savoie at number six and Ivan Miroshnichenko with pick #12. Our own Dan Dukart is a huge fan of Miroshnichenko. Peter Baracchini, who heads scouting and drafting for The Hockey Writers, says that Miroshnichenko has the potential be Laine 2.0.
MyNHLDraft.com
They got the 6th overall pick correct last year, pairing Simon Edvinsson with Detroit. If lightning can strike twice, Columbus will take Frank Nazar at number six this summer. The 12th pick will turn to blue line help, with the Blue Jackets going for Denton Mateychuk. Another defenseman, Pavel Mintyukov, goes at #13 in this mock — and most other mocks have Mintyukov going about Mateychuk.
Tankathon
I love this website for so many reasons, but I especially love who they have the Blue Jackets walking away with in round one this year. Savoie is again the pick at six, but if they're right and Columbus gets defenseman Kevin Korchinski at #12, they'll have earned an A in the opening round of this draft. Korchinski is a fantastic talent and is quickly moving up the radar for a lot of teams.
Lines.com
Two new names enter the fray here, with Joakim Kemell and Brad Lambert coming to Columbus as a result of their mocks. Two Finnish forwards seems like the kind of thing general manager Jarmo Kekalainen would be tempted to do, but these are similar players and with both Gautheir and Savoie on the board for Columbus at number six in this mock, it seems like the Blue Jackets would opt for one of them.
Draft Utopia
A pair of recycled names here, but that's not a bad thing at all. Draft Utopia has Columbus selecting Nazar with the sixth selection and grabbing Korchinski at #12. This mock mentions the possibility of 2021 first-round pick Corson Ceulemans and Korchinski playing together on the Blue Jackets second pairing a few years from now, and that's a thought that makes me smile — assuming they meet their potential, of course.
Bleacher Report
Kemell is the pick at number six in this one, but it's the name at #12 that is intriguing to me. Owen Pickering, who is in the second half of the first round in most other mocks, goes to Columbus in Bleacher Report's mock. Craig Button of TSN has Pickering ranked at 13th, but that's as high as I've seen anywhere. He's a 6'4" defenseman with potential; something a team can never have enough of. Like Korchinski, Pickering is seeing his stock steadily rise... but this would be a bit of a reach in the top twelve.
The Sporting News
We started out with a big dog, and so let's end with one too. The Sporting News, unlike every other mock above, has the Blue Jackets picking a defenseman with the first of their two selections: David Jiricek. Whether or not Jiricek is the best defenseman available in the draft remains to be seen, but he's certainly in the conversation. For the second time, Lambert is the pick at #12 in the mocks. Bryan Murphy, who put the mock together for TSN, makes an interesting observation of Lambert: "There's no player more polarizing in this draft than Lambert. You watch him play and he's fast, slick and constantly feels like a threat on offense. But the numbers aren't there." Is that something Kekalainen is willing to bank on?
Your turn, 1OB readers. Comment with your mock picks for the Blue Jackets and state your case.
