The Forward Prospects That Are Projected to Be Available when the Blue Jackets Select at Six and 12

My colleague Dan Greene wrote about which defensemen are projected to be available when the Jackets are on the clock. I am going to write about the forwards. Last week, Will Chase compiled all the forward and defense prospects we have profiled in our 'Names to Know' series. This draft seems to be as unpredictable as any in recent memory, so let's take a look at what players the mock drafts have slated for Columbus.

While the Blue Jackets set a franchise record for goals in a single season in 2021-22, you never know what the team will need when these prospects are ready to play in the NHL. 

It seems likely that Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Logan Cooley will be the first three forwards selected, all likely in the top five, which leaves the aforementioned Gauthier, Savoie, Geekie, Kemell, Kasper, Yurov, in addition to Frank Nazar, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, among several others. However, Corey Pronman of The Athletic and The Hockey Writers' Alex Hobson both have Gauthier going fifth, Bleacher Report's Lyle Richardson has Savoie going fifth, and Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino has Gauthier going third.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, along with the other 31 NHL GMs, have different draft boards so it's nearly impossible to predict who they will draft. Three out of the nine mocks listed here predict the club will select Gauthier, but four of the other mocks don't have him available at six. The only two mocks that don't have Gauthier as one of the top-four forwards selected are Tankathon and The Sporting News's Bryan Murphy. Overall, it looks like the only way the Jackets select Wright, Slafkovsky, or Cooley is if they trade up, and some mocks think that also applies to Gauthier. That leaves the rest of the forwards in the class as the ones that will likely be available when the Jackets are on the clock.