Corson Ceulemans was drafted 25th overall in 2021.
Don Waddell and the Columbus Blue Jackets have a lot of decisions to make, starting with the 23 free agents that they're going to have.
One of those players who will be a restricted free agent is 23-year-old Corson Ceulemans. Actually, he'll be 23 in three days, so we're rounding up.
Ceulemans was drafted 25th overall in 2021 by former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. The thought when he was drafted was that after college and a year or two in the AHL, he would be ready to go. Unfortunately, Ceulemans ended up being a victim of Kekäläinen's swing for the fence trades of Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, more specifically, Severson.
Columbus has two UFA's and an RFA on the big roster. If Gudbranson, Brendan Smith, and Egor Zamula all leave, that could free up a spot for Ceulemans. Going into next season, Waddell will have 6 defensemen under contract, so Ceulemans could very easily slot is as the 7th d-man and rotate in with Jake Christiansen.
This past season, Ceulemans set career highs in multiple areas, including goals (8), assists (16), points (24), PIM, GWG, and shots in a career-high 64 games played. So far in three playoff games, he has two points. He was the second-highest scoring defenseman for the Monsters this season behind Dysin Mayo.
Is he ready?
The EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide described Ceulemans as a player who can "pinch, engage opponents, box them out, control them on the boards, and shove them away from the puck. His gap is tight through the neutral zone, and he defends the front of the net well. Quick threat identification there and attaches himself to them."
The best thing at this point for the young defenseman would be to promote Ceulemans to the NHL next season, but there is just one issue with that, and that is that they'd need to re-sign him to a new contract, which shouldn't be a problem.
Ceulemans is coming off of his ELC that he signed in 2023, so he'll likely get a couple of years to prove himself. He's not eligible to be a UFA until 2030.
Will Ceulemans end up getting his shot? I guess we'll find out in September, but it's probably time to give him that chance.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft Lottery on May 5, 2025, where the CBJ will most likely pick 14 or 15.
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