Today the Jackets dipped into the CHL free agent market and signed Niagara Ice Dogs centre Jordan Maletta to an entry level contract.
I've watched a ton of OHL games these past few years, and I have seen Maletta play quite a bit as he's a teammate of Jackets prospect Blake Siebenaler. I understand why the Jackets would sign Maletta the issue is that the thought process behind it is flawed.
Maletta is a solid two player for the Ice Dogs. He is a regular on the team’s top PK and has been for the last few years. He blocks a ton of shots and competes hard every shift. He's got good size at 6’03, 215, and someone who really emerged this season offensively. He's scored 34 goals, a career high, also chipping in 25 assists for a career high 59 points. He's a leader for the Dogs wearing an “A” in each of the past two seasons. He will join Lake Erie when his season in Niagara is finished.
It’s likely the Jackets in watching Siebenaler saw something that impressed them with Maletta. The issue that arises here is that while Maletta is a good junior player, he is not an NHL prospect. His likelihood of playing in the NHL is slim at best. In order to make your way to the NHL you have to dominate the junior level, and Maletta just hasn’t done that. In five years in the OHL he has yet to crack even a point a game. Sure he's more of a defensive minded player, but look at defensive minded players in the NHL, at some-point in their junior careers they dominated.
The CHL is the most heavily scouted league in the World. There is a reason a guy of Maletta’s size passed through three NHL drafts. He doesn’t have the offensive skills necessary to play at the next level. Even if Maletta reaches his ceiling he’s not going to be anything more than an average fourth line player. These kinds of depth pieces can be had for next to nothing, in free agency every year. There is no need to worry about developing them.
The Jackets need to be looking for top six players. In order to find these players, outside of the first two rounds of the draft, is to go against the grain and look for unconventional players. The biggest thing teams overlook is smaller players. Tampa Bay as a recent example has thrived taking advantage of this, notably with Tyler Johnson. A player that fits that bill this year that the Jackets should be targeting is Hunter Garlent of the Peterborough Petes.
Garlent has been arguably the best overager in the OHL. He leads all 20 year olds with 87 points in 68 games. He's been passed over in the draft as he has dealt with injuries and stands just 5’10. His skill level is off the charts, if he can overcome the injuries woes (he played all 68 games this season) and overcome the size factor (he’s two inches taller than Cam Atkinson) I could see him playing in the NHL.
For a team near the bottom of the standings the Jackets need all the prospects they can get. They need to focus on finding guys who have the potential to play in the top half of the lineup. NHL depth players can be had cheaply every year. There is no need to develop them.
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