There has been lots of smoke regarding Will Smith lately.
Over the past few days, there's been lots of smoke regarding picks two and three.
For Columbus, it all depends on what Anaheim does at two. Or does it? Since the ping pong balls determined the order, all the talk has been centered around the Ducks taking C Adam Fantilli, and the CBJ taking C Leo Carlsson. But after the recent World Championships, experts have said that the gap between the two, has closed, to almost nothing.
What if the Ducks go with Carlsson? Should that happen, Adam Fantilli will be a Blue Jacket in a heartbeat. The kid from Nobleton, Ontario, and current Michigan center, would be really close to home, and would instantly inject another round of excitement into this fanbase.
But what if the Ducks choose who most people think they will, Fantilli? This is where it’s going to get messy. For a few days now, NHL insiders and some reporters have said that the CBJ are high on C Will Smith, and understandably so. He is ranked third among NA skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and his offensive skill is off the charts. THN has his comp as Trevor Zegras in the final mock draft, that’s exciting. He’s listed at right around 6-feet tall, and 182 pounds. One can assume, that he will probably put on some muscle at Boston College, before he makes the jump into the NHL.
But would the Blue Jackets pass on an NHL ready center in Leo Carlsson for Smith, who will be playing in college next season? Yes, they would, but only if certain events happen. The first event is free agency. If Jarmo and Co. are certain they can land a veteran free agent center once free agency opens, then they can take their chance on Smith. There are a bunch of UFA centers on the market this year, and most are fairly long in the tooth, but can any be serviceable for a year or two? And what kind of salary would they expect?
Guys like Ryan O’Reilly and Alexander Kerfoot instantly come to mind. Oskar Sundqvist, J.T. Compher and Nick Bjugstad are also out there. Players like this would most likely have to come with an over payment for a few years. Per PuckPedia, the CBJ will have right around $4 million in cap space when the season starts, and to sign one of these players, we should expect some salary would need to be shed. And that’s where a move would need to come in.
The unfortunate casualty would most likely be Jack Roslovic. Currently heading into the last year of his contract and making $4 million, trading Roslovic for picks or a prospect, and creating some space under the cap, just makes sense. Jarmo Kekalainen has stated on more than one occasion that Roslovics inconsistent play in an issue, and that he would like him to get better.
A lot of fans are against drafting Will Smith for one reason or another, but some like the idea. He’s a dynamic young center who has superstar written all over him. No, he will not play for any NHL team this upcoming season, but the wait could absolutely be worth it. Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli are projected to play in the NHL right away, which most fans are in favor of. Is there a right or wrong answer?
Is all the smoke surrounding the Ducks taking Carlsson just a screen? Why would the Ducks create a smoke screen? They can choose who they want and then everyone else must fall in line. We will find out later today who is drafted to what team, but until then, we will continue to guess and speculate, because it’s fun. CBJ fans should be excited about whoever they draft tonight, as whoever walks up to that stage and puts on that Union Blue jersey, is projected to be a future star. And even the thought of potentially having a 1C in the organization should excite them, no matter who it is.