A way too early look at who the CBJ could draft in 2024
If the jackets have another down year, they could find themselves another young stud
Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports - A way too early look at who the CBJ could draft in 2024Most 2023-24 season projections have the Columbus Blue Jackets finishing anywhere from 22-32. Now in Columbus, finishing 22nd would be ok based on many guys coming back from injury and the off-season moves. But finishing 27-32 would be unacceptable in the eyes of a lot CBJ fans. If they finish in the bottom 10, they have a chance to draft a really good player, again.
One player that will be drafted in 2024 is Regina Pats forward Tanner Howe. The 17-year-old already has two full seasons under his belt in Regina and has put up some monster numbers already. In the 21-22 season he played in 64 games, scoring 27 goals and 69 points. Last Season he played in 67 games, had 36 goals and 85 points. He obviously didn’t have the points that Bedard did, but the kid is gifted.
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He's essentially the same size as Connor Bedard and had Bedard not been on that Pats team the last few years, Howe could’ve easily been the top scorer. He’s currently ranked as the #10 prospect to watch for by THN’s Connor Earegood, you can read it here. Many other publications have him at #10 also. But as Earegood alludes to, if he can take over that team and lead in production with Bedard gone, he’s going to make an NHL team extremely happy. If he does have “that” kind of year, he may even see himself moving way up in the draft.
Fans in Columbus want to see this team make a huge leap. The injury aspect from last season cannot be overlooked and we fully expect this team to be much healthier this upcoming season. But is finishing in the bottom 10 a good thing or a bad thing? Lots of people say the rebuild isn’t over, while many others say it is. Would getting another young dynamic center put this team over the top?
Obviously, this is a way too early look at one player, but 2024 will be here in a hurry and we need to start over analyzing it now.
Rob - I humbly think it's a little naive to point out low stability for a franchise that's in the process of tear down - rebuild. With all the young players that will be developing and coming and going over the next few years, plus some free agents, it is impossible to expect stability. Instability is inherent with a full rebuild.