Columbus Makes 5 More Entry Draft Picks

After drafting Taylor Hall first overall, the Jackets had a lot of work to do throughout the rest of the draft to add players for the rebuild. The David Backes trade payed off when the Jackets were able to select silky smooth Russian Alexander Burmistrov 13th overall. The Jackets GM was very happy that Burmistrov was available at 13th overall. Tabbed as "Datsyuk-Lite" by The Hockey News, Columbus is not in any rush to throw this guy into the lineup, but rather will likely give him spot duty and let him develop into the two-way player that he is projected to be. The Jackets are known for shying away from Russians, but character is not an issue with this kid, as his ultimate dream is to play in the AHL and not flee back to Russia to play in the KHL.

Columbus proceeded to add another very solid young player when they selected Luke Adam 20th overall. Adam was a key contributer to team Canada's World Junior Championship roster last year in Saskatoon. Adam, along with Burmistrov, are both centremen so like Burmistrov, Adam most likely won't see much ice time this year with the Jackets. This is another player the Jackets were targeting going into the entry draft, and were quite surprised that he fell to them at 20th. He is a big body who isn't afraid to go to the dirty areas, as he scored 49 goals in 56 games during his last year of junior hockey. Eventually the Jackets hope Adam can transition to the wing and become a top six forward to help out Taylor Hall and Mikko Koivu with scoring.
With their fourth pick in the first round of the entry draft, Columbus selected Jeff Petry, out of MSU 28th overall.  He is a big defenceman with a very strong stride who can skate like the wind, and isn't afraid to throw the body. We can assume that Petry was picked here because of the familiarity with the Jackets General Manager. This is yet another draft pick that most likely won't see much time in the AHL this year, as like most college defenceman, will  need some time to develop before he can step into a top six role.
With the fourth pick in the second round, the Jackets stayed true to form and took bruiser Matt Martin. This is the type of player GM Springinotic has been known to acquire and employ without question. He is looking for Martin to step straight into the lineup and play on the third line with Ryan O'Reilly and Derek Dorsett, so look to them to cause some havoc. Martin's goal this year is to, "lead the AHL in hits", and don't be surprised if he edges out Cal Clutterbuck in that category as he will be given plenty of ice time to bang some bodies around. Martin just adds to the toughness that is already in the CBJ lineup (Dorsett, Simmonds, Konopka, Shelley, Boll, and Mark Stuart).
With their last pick of the entry draft the Jackets opted to add another goaltender, and selected Kevin Poulin to backup Marc-Andre Fleury.

Jackets Pick Taylor Hall First Overall!

(Columbus, Ohio)

     Fans in Nationwide Arena erupted at the draft party when Columbus announced Taylor Hall as the first overall pick in the AHL entry draft. It was a no-brainer for Columbus to pick Hall, who is a back-to-back memorial cup champion, and back-to-back memorial cup MVP, how's that for some accolades? His combination of size, speed, and top end skill is exactly what the Jackets were hoping for. He instantly becomes the best winger on the team and Columbus is hoping he will develop into a franchise winger and dominate for a long time. His ability to blow by defenders and beat goalies with his lightning quick release was just something the Jackets couldn't pass up. It appears that being one of the worst teams in the league has its perks! Columbus is on the board again at #13 and looking to add to its solid core.

Blockbuster Trade!

(Columbus, Ohio)

     After tonnes of speculation, it has happened, David Backes was dealt out of town. Again, this had nothing to do with problems with Backes, but more with the fact that the Blue Jackets are building for the future. We know that since the trade deadline last year that the Columbus GM has been probing the market to see what kind of youth he could receive for Backes, coming close multiple times to dealing him. The full trade ended up sending Backes, along with Ruslan Fedotenko and Patrick Kaleta to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Ryan O'Reilly and the Leafs first round pick in the draft, which is 13th overall. It's very sad to see David move on, as he almost netted fifty goals for the Jackets two years ago, and is consistently among the league leaders in hits.
     Columbus was very ecstatic to receive Ryan O'Reilly in return, as he is a young defensive stalwart who plays centre and is already a whiz in the draws. The plan is for O'Reilly to become the franchise #2 centre behind captain Mikko Koivu. He is solid penalty killer and is starting to round out his offensive game. This is exactly the type of player they were looking for to help round out a solid core going forward. The 13th overall pick should also play dividends right away as Columbus should land another player who can step in and contribute right away. The Jackets have 5 picks in the first 34 including first overall, so the full on rebuild is underway!

Greene Dealt

(Columbus, Ohio)

     The first of two moves Columbus made prior to the entry draft. The Jackets sent rough defenceman Matt Greene to Ottawa, and in return received a late first round pick. It wasn't a priority to move Greene but there were a lot of d-men on the roster and the Jackets are looking to build a young core and hoping to see them grow together.

AHL 9 Has Arrived

(Columbus, Ohio)

     Much has happened in Columbus since we last left off. Coming into the season we knew Columbus's GM was looking to shake up the team and make some major moves.
     Things started out very well with the Jackets winning the AHL draft lottery and receiving the first overall pick in the entry draft.
     Before the entry draft would occur though, the dispersal draft took place. The Jackets GM was unable to attend but was filled in for by a fellow GM. Things went very well for the Jackets at the dispersal draft, ending up with two players that they were heavily targeting. In the first round they picked Ladislav Smid, a shot blocking extraordinaire who has developed into a defensive specialist that the Blue Jackets were coveting. In Smid they also add character and leadership, as he is not afraid to stick up for any teammate, and as we know, the Jackets always ice an exciting team in the fisticuff department.

     In the second round the Jackets picked up Luca Sbisa, a young Swiss defenceman, who also isn't afraid to drop the mitts. The 21 year old is already in his fourth NHL season, and is on the fast track to becoming a solid defender.True to form the Jackets continued to land solid young defenders in the dispersal draft, as it seems to be a tactic of theirs to pluck developing defenders during the dispersal and target skilled forwards in the entry draft.

     The third round pick was used on superpest Patrick Kaleta, but rumour has it he has already been shipped out of town...
     There were also three players that were lost in the dispersal draft. Zach Boychuk, who was taken in the entry draft last year was a big loss, as the Jackets were hoping that he could develop into a long term option on the wing. They also lost bruiser Theo Peckham to the division rival Blackhawks, and you know what they say, there are no friends on the ice. It was very sad to see Peckham go, as he was a solid teammate and player. Nikolai Khabibulin, who is having a solid year in the NHL was also lost, and although the Jackets regret losing him, the main focus in net is keeping Marc-Andre Fleury in a Columbus uniform for a looooonnnnggg time.
     That's it for now, details to follow on the entry draft and on the speculation that there has been multiple deals completed out of Columbus today.