One piece of the offseason puzzle has fallen into place for the Columbus Blue Jackets: their draft position.
With Pittsburgh now eliminated (thanks to the Washington Capitals), picks 16-26 are now set in stone, and the Blue Jackets will hold the 18th pick in the first round.
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 16 | Colorado Avalanche |
| 17 | New Jersey Devils |
| 18 | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 19 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 20 | Los Angeles Kings |
| 21 | San Jose Sharks |
| 22 | Ottawa Senators (from Pittsburgh) |
| 23 | Anaheim Ducks |
| 24 | Minnesota Wild |
| 25 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 26 | New York Rangers (from Boston) |
The 18th slot has seen some quality players picked as of late. Ottawa’s Thomas Chabot (2015) is one of the league’s best young defensemen. Alex Tuch (2014) is a key contributor for the Cup-hungry Vegas Golden Knights, and Teuvo Teravainen (2012) has a Stanley Cup to his name.
The last time John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen held the 18th overall pick was back in 2007 with the St. Louis Blues. They used that pick to select Ian Cole, who played a big role in the Blue Jackets’ stretch run this season.
Columbus did not have a first round selection last season – they traded it to the Vegas Golden Knights in an expansion draft deal – so their most recent first-round selection was Pierre-Luc Dubois (third overall) back in 2016.
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