KJ Dangler
Registered User
AP posted few hours ago …
No. 2
The pick: Adam Fantilli
Great question: if you could be promised no worse than the No. 2 pick (Fantilli), would you give up your chance at the No. 1 pick? It’s not an easy question.
Fantilli is so much more than a consolation prize. Yes, some fans will be upset about not landing Bedard, but Fantilli would still give the Blue Jackets a future No. 1 center, which is an age-old need in Columbus. There’s no question, the Jackets would skip to the podium to make this pick.
True freshmen don’t often light up college hockey, but Fantilli was a dominant player at the University of Michigan. He played a rugged game and has the size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) that reminds scouts of Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar.
If the Blue Jackets land the No. 1 or No. 2 pick, it will dramatically impact their 2023-24 roster, as both Bedard and Fantilli are considered NHL-ready. If they draft third or later, the impact will likely be felt in 2024-25 or beyond
No. 3
The pick: Will Smith
This is where the intrigue starts in this year’s draft, no matter who is picking here.
With Bedard and Fantilli almost assured of going 1-2, respectively, many expect Swedish center Leo Carlsson, Russian winger Matvei Michkov, and American center Will Smith to be the next three players off the board, but in what order?
This is just a hunch, but the Blue Jackets seem quite fond of Smith, who just had a strong showing in the U18 World Championships, which Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen (and others on his staff) attended in Basel, Switzerland.
Smith, a dynamic offensive talent, is headed to Boston College in the fall, but it won’t surprise anybody if he’s there and gone after only one season. Even so, the soonest the Blue Jackets would see him would likely be the 2024-25 season.
No. 4
The pick: Leo Carlsson
The Jackets landing here will feel like the end of the world to many, but it still gives them a chance to land a top-end talent. Carlsson has the look of a highly-skilled, No. 1 center, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to launch this season or next.
Pay no mind to Carlsson’s numbers in Sweden this season: 10-15-25 in 44 games with Orebro. That’s against grown men, not junior or college players like Bedard, Fantilli, and Smith have faced.
In any other year, the Blue Jackets would be delighted to land a 6-foot-3, 200-pound future No. 1 center with their top pick
No. 2
The pick: Adam Fantilli
Great question: if you could be promised no worse than the No. 2 pick (Fantilli), would you give up your chance at the No. 1 pick? It’s not an easy question.
Fantilli is so much more than a consolation prize. Yes, some fans will be upset about not landing Bedard, but Fantilli would still give the Blue Jackets a future No. 1 center, which is an age-old need in Columbus. There’s no question, the Jackets would skip to the podium to make this pick.
True freshmen don’t often light up college hockey, but Fantilli was a dominant player at the University of Michigan. He played a rugged game and has the size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) that reminds scouts of Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar.
If the Blue Jackets land the No. 1 or No. 2 pick, it will dramatically impact their 2023-24 roster, as both Bedard and Fantilli are considered NHL-ready. If they draft third or later, the impact will likely be felt in 2024-25 or beyond
No. 3
The pick: Will Smith
This is where the intrigue starts in this year’s draft, no matter who is picking here.
With Bedard and Fantilli almost assured of going 1-2, respectively, many expect Swedish center Leo Carlsson, Russian winger Matvei Michkov, and American center Will Smith to be the next three players off the board, but in what order?
This is just a hunch, but the Blue Jackets seem quite fond of Smith, who just had a strong showing in the U18 World Championships, which Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen (and others on his staff) attended in Basel, Switzerland.
Smith, a dynamic offensive talent, is headed to Boston College in the fall, but it won’t surprise anybody if he’s there and gone after only one season. Even so, the soonest the Blue Jackets would see him would likely be the 2024-25 season.
No. 4
The pick: Leo Carlsson
The Jackets landing here will feel like the end of the world to many, but it still gives them a chance to land a top-end talent. Carlsson has the look of a highly-skilled, No. 1 center, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to launch this season or next.
Pay no mind to Carlsson’s numbers in Sweden this season: 10-15-25 in 44 games with Orebro. That’s against grown men, not junior or college players like Bedard, Fantilli, and Smith have faced.
In any other year, the Blue Jackets would be delighted to land a 6-foot-3, 200-pound future No. 1 center with their top pick