The 2014 NHL Entry Draft is two weeks away, and all kinds of takes on how the Blue Jackets should approach this year's draft are being suggested across the web.
One interesting read I came across at TheUnionBlue, one of the more popular Blue Jackets blogs, recommended that Jarmo Kekalainen takes to the draft looking to improve the team's system depth on the back end.
Via TheUnionBlue post by @CBJProspects: "Now I know the NHL draft is more about two to three years from now unlike the NFL and NBA drafts, but at the moment, the only defenseman under contract to play in Springfield next season (I think the CBJ’s D is pretty set) are Thomas Larkin and Austin Madaisky. The Jackets do have a few RFAs that should be back in Will Weber, Cody Goloubef and the player who I think will get the first crack at replacing Nikita Nikitin (I believe he’s KHL bound) Tim Erixon.As for the team’s prospect depth it’s Mike Reilly and Dillon Heatherington and that’s it."
While a good case for drafting defensemen was made, I believe in drafting the best player available regardless of position, and I'm pretty sure Kekalainen shares that belief as well.
That said, with the plethora of forward prospects coming up through the system in Marko Dano, Alex Wennberg, Kerby Rychel, etc. and the team set in goal with Sergei Bobrovsky, there is an undeniable need on defense.
I still believe in taking the best player available, though. After Aaron Ekblad and Haydn Fleury, I don't think there's a defenseman in this draft that will go as high as 16. If Kekalainen would prefer to address the defense, then he should move down to a pick he feels a defenseman will be the best player at, and add more assets - whether draft picks or players - in the process.
Should Kekalainen stay at 16, he'd be smart to pick the best player available regardless of position. A trade from an area of strength could be made if need be, but drafting the best player is how you build a franchise properly. He knows that, too.
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Email: NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com