He's a fan favorite who stays healthy
Andrew Peek was drafted by Columbus in 2016, taken #34 overall. The big defenseman was committed to playing at Notre Dame and would enroll later that year. Most CBJ fans knew nothing about him.
Peeke would go on to play 119 games for Notre Dame, with his junior year being named Captain of the Fighting Irish. Peeke would score 12 goals and finish with 52 points. After his third year at Notre Dame, Peeke would decide to go pro and forgo his final year in college.
The 2019-20 season would see Peeke split his time between Columbus and Cleveland. He played 22 games for Columbus, scoring 1 goal and 3 points. He would also play 29 games for the Monsters in Cleveland, scoring 5 goals and totaling 16 points.
The shortened 2020-21 season again saw him splitting time between Columbus and Cleveland. This time he would only play in 11 games for the CBJ, with 3 assists. In Cleveland, he would play in 7 games and have 4 assists.
In the 2021-22 season, Peeke would make the jump into a full-time NHL schedule. He played in all 82 games scoring 2 goals and 15 points. The team played .500 hockey that season, but Peeke was turning into a solid NHL defenseman in his first full season. The Parkland, FL native was becoming a sturdy d-man who fans loved.
Last season Peeke played in 80 games, marking two years in a row he would play in 80-plus games. With a blue line that was decimated with injuries, some being season-long, Peeke endured and played the best he could given the circumstances. He would score 6 goals and total 13 points. Once again proving that he could be reliable and hardy.
This summer Peeke has been the topic of conversation by a lot of fans and media. Many wonder if the CBJ will trade him, or go with Peeke and trade someone else. The blue line got crowded in a hurry with guys coming back from injury and off-season additions. Some think the CBJ should keep Peeke because he is that tough, sturdy D-man who stays healthy and plays a defensive first game. While others like the flashy, scoring defensemen like Jake Bean and Adam Boqvist. Andrew Peeke could be in for the fight of his career in training camp.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen has a very difficult decision to make. He could trade some guys before the season starts, or he could wait and trade them during the season when teams are begging for blue-line help. Either way, I think Jarmo has the leverage he needs to keep making moves to get this team where they want it to be.