The Blue Jackets are expected to select Leo Carlsson
With the No. 3 pick, the Columbus Blue Jackets select...Leo Carlsson, Orebro HK (SHL)
Why pick him? The Blue Jackets have never had a #1 center in their existence, so choosing Leo Carlsson is simple. The 18-year-old Swede is everything the Blue Jackets could want. He’s tall, standing at 6-foot-3. He’s sturdy, weighing in at 198 pounds, and should get bigger. He has experience, playing in a pro league for Orebro HK in the SHL. And, in most scouts’ eyes, he’s ready to make the leap into the NHL. Carlsson played the last two seasons in the SHL. This past season he played in 44 games, he had 10 goals and 25 points. He also helped team Sweden in the recent World Championships, playing in eight games, scoring 3 goals and 2 assists. Some experts say, he closed the gap between he and Adam Fantilli after this tournament. So much so, that rumors of Leo Carlsson being the top player on the Ducks board, are starting to be spread by NHL insiders. Central Scouting has him rated as the No. 1 international skater, just ahead of Russian winger Matvei Michkov. The Hockey News own Tony Ferrari has Carlsson ranked 3rd overall behind Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli. Check out Tony Ferraris final draft rankings here.
Scouts say about Carlsson:
- “I know in the SHL, he plays the left wing, but I think he projects as a center”
- “His hockey sense and vision are as good as anyone in this draft. He’s got a big frame at 6-foot-3 and has been playing against men for a couple years. His potential is right up there with the elite in this class”
- “He didn’t get to play center, so I don’t think he was put in a position to have the best year, but he has been good anyway."
There is a clear consensus top 3 in this draft, so the Blue Jackets falling from two to three in the draft, isn’t a huge drop off at all. But getting Carlsson at three will help launch this re-building franchise into the future.
Leo Carlsson could very well be the cornerstone of this franchise.
Who are the other options? A few different things would need to happen for the CBJ to not draft Leo Carlsson. The Ducks would need to draft either Matvei Michkov or go with Leo Carlsson instead of Adam Fantilli. So, if the Ducks choose one of those two players, the Blue Jackets would all the sudden be thrown into a position to make a difficult decision. The Columbus front office would be ecstatic if three centers were there to choose from. But let’s assume Anaheim picks Fantilli, would they pick Will Smith over Carlsson? They are picking a center, so it would come down to one of those two. There are rumblings that the Blue Jackets really like Will Smith as well. So, do they choose the 6-foot-3 center who is ready to play in the NHL, or do they go with the 6-foot dynamic center, who is a year or two away from the NHL? They have an interesting decision to make.
What else is on the agenda? The Columbus Blue Jackets bolstered their blue line with the pickups of Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov, so we can check defense off the list of needs. They have a long list of extra defensemen now, so if GM Jarmo Kekalainen wants to find a veteran center, he has the trade bait to do so. Kekalainen needs to decide whether he wants to go into the season with the center they draft at 3, as well as the centers already on the roster, or if he wants to trade some of the forwards to gain another top 6 center.
Also, a topic of conversation is the goalie position. With Elvis Merlikins having a not so good year last year, and Daniil Tarasov going through injuries, some have suggested they find a veteran goalie. Only issue with that is, they would need to decide whether that veteran would be in the NHL or AHL. Tarasov will require waivers, and it seems unlikely the CBJ would be willing to chance that. And with the Merzlikins contract being what it is, most assume it’s simply not tradable. He would most likely clear waivers, but there’s always the chance some GM would take on Merzlikins.
The Blue Jackets and their fans should be in for an interesting summer.