Well, that was certainly a whirlwind of a day.
Jarmo Kekalainen, John Davidson, and the rest of the Blue Jackets front office were very busy, but they got the job done.
Friday began with the Blue Jackets holding three first-round picks (#5, #25*, and #32*) and Seth Jones. When the dust settled, things looked very different.
*While these picks were technically 24th and 31st due to the Coyotes' forfeiture of the 11th pick, the NHL has continued to refer to them as picks 25 and 32.
As Friday progressed, many reporters around the league were honed in on the possibility of a deal involving Jones being made between Columbus and Chicago. Most of the day passed without anything concrete. With all the craziness that happened, we constructed a timeline so you can relive Friday as many times as you like.
4:56 PM ET
Pierre Lebrun reports that "the Blackhawks keep grinding away trying to pry Seth Jones from Columbus. Nothing close. But Chicago trying hard."
6:47 PM ET
ESPN's Emily Kaplan is the first to report that a deal has been made between the two teams. The return is unknown at this time, but Seth Jones will be a Blackhawk for at least next season.
7:08 PM ET
Kaplan reports that Jones is signing a massive, 8-year extension with the Blackhawks. She also writes that the Blue Jackets are sending over the #32 pick and a 2022 sixth-rounder, but the return for Columbus is unknown.
7:33 PM ET
Kevin Weekes reports that the return for Columbus in the Jones trade includes young defenseman Adam Boqvist, two first-round picks, and a second-round pick. Those picks would end up being the Blackhawks' 2021 first (#12 overall), their 2022 first-rounder, and their 2021 second-round pick (#44 overall).
7:36 PM ET
TSN's Elliotte Friedman is first with the news that the Blue Jackets have made another deal. They've flipped the 2021 second-rounder (44th overall) that they acquired from the Blackhawks in the Jones deal to acquire defenseman Jake Bean from the Carolina Hurricanes.
8:48 PM ET
The Blue Jackets select University of Michigan standout Kent Johnson with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Johnson, a forward with great skill, is planning to return to school for his sophomore year.
9:36 PM ET
The Blue Jackets select Columbus-born Cole Sillinger with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Sillinger's father, Mike, played two seasons with the Blue Jackets during a 17-season NHL career where he played for 12 teams. The younger Sillinger is a forward by trade, and you can make a case that he was a steal at number 12.
Cole Sillinger is a steal for the Blue Jackets. Big time skill, big time production. Oh, and there's this: pic.twitter.com/HeS0hmBUTd
— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) July 24, 2021
11:12 PM ET
The Blue Jackets select defenseman Corson Ceuelemans with the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
And that was that. What a day in terms of assets lost, but the assets gained far outweigh those lost. The Blue Jackets front office should pat themselves on the back for a job well done.
