The Jackets defence group was a hot topic all season long due to the success they were having and they continue to be a hot topic into the off-season. Looking forward to next season the defence projects as follows:
Zach Werenski – Seth Jones
Jack Johnson – David Savard
Markus Nutivaara – Ryan Murray
Scott Harrington
That was the six the Jackets used for the majority of last season. With Dalton Prout traded away and Kyle Quincey expected to test free agency, Harrington moves up into that seventh defencemen role. With the expansion draft looming it’s quite possible that one of these defencemen is picked. Using the expansion tool on
Cap Friendly the most common player picked from Columbus has been Johnson. If the Jackets were to lose Johnson their defence entering next season could look something like this:
Werenski – Jones
Murray – Savard
Nutivaara – Gabriel Carlsson
Harrington
The Jackets brass is very high on Carlsson, including John Tortorella who had some high praise for the young defencemen.
“The most important thing I like about his game is just his demeanor,” Tortorella said of Carlsson, who logged an assist in his second game Sunday in Toronto. “He’s not afraid to step up. He’s not afraid to make a pass into the middle of the ice. He’s not a tentative player. I think he’s very confident, and that’s the most important thing.”
That quote from
Tom Reed’s Dispatch article prior to Game 1, shows the confidence the organization has in Carlsson. To go from Sweden to North America, play five games on the smaller ice (three AHL, two NHL) and then be a regular in the playoffs is rare. Carlsson is going to enter camp with a good shot to make this team regardless of what happens during the expansion draft.
The other wrinkle here is Vladislav Gavrikov. The Jackets have
made him an offer and are trying to convince him to come over to North America. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, teams bring players over all the time. The Jackets however have shown a willingness with Carlsson and Nutivaara to put these players right into the NHL. That plus this Aaron Portzline tweet and you can see why the speculation has started.
Gavrikov has been a regular in the KHL for the past two seasons. He's played 112 games in the KHL in his career, so he should be ready to make the jump to the NHL. The problem though is that he has not been very successful in those 112 games. He had back to back seven point seasons and has just 15 career points.
It doesn’t really make much sense to me that Gavrikov would make Murray expendable. If a deal happens in which Murray is traded that’s fine, but don’t look for a trade just because Gavrikov might come over.
Portzline has his ear to organization so this very well may be an opinion shared by the organization. If so this sheds some light on who the Jackets will protect in the expansion draft. It was assumed that the Jackets would be protecting Jones, Savard and Murray (Werenski is exempt), leaving Johnson exposed. If the team sees Murray as expendable however they may be more inclined to protect Johnson and leave Murray unprotected. If Murray is left unprotected I would imagine Vegas takes him. He's a 23 year old defencemen, former #2 overall pick, who has been a regular in the NHL. Yes he has had plenty of injury problems, but this is the type of talent you take a chance on if you’re Vegas.
There is still plenty of time before the expansion draft for things to shake out. As things currently stand Gavrikov has not decided if he will come over to North America or if he will stay in Russia and play in the KHL. He will be playing for Russia at the World Championships where everyone associated with the Blue Jackets will be keeping a close eye on him.
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