Jackets Not on Fence, but On Defense at '10 Draft

[Virtual Jarmo]

The Columbus Blue Jackets went to Los Angeles for the 2010 Entry Draft with one thing on their mind - defense. The Jackets, embarrassed by the eventual Western Conference Champion Nashville Predators in the opening round of the playoffs, had clear and distinct holes on defense and felt that the draft was the best opportunity to fill them.

"We heard the rumblings about the cap, and we were able to move Gabo to get under," GM Adam Burke said in a post-draft interview. "We're having a philosophical change in Columbus and it started with the Gaborik trade."

Really, some scouts and other sources say that the transformation started with the Jared Boll trade to Vancouver. The Jackets are looking to become a more responsible defensive team. Their plan was evident as the Jackets traded out of the top ten to take a gamble on their guy being there. Luckily, he stuck around. Dylan McIlrath was selected 13th overall by the Blue Jackets.

"We love McIlrath. He's one big, mean son of a [gun]," Burke said. "He was our only choice at 8th, and given the talent left on the board, we felt he would be able to fall to us. Odds are, we just got lucky. Several teams were in talks to move up and take Dylan, but the cards fell our way."

In the first round pick swap with Florida, the Jackets picked up the 36th pick and selected Patrick McNally. McNally is definitely a project, only having played prep school hockey in Massachusetts, but the team is confident that McNally's awareness and raw talent will make him a solid NHL-caliber defenseman.

"We were blown away with McNally. We had our eyes on him at the 40 pick that we got from Vancouver, but we wanted to snatch him up. Kid's going to Harvard for God sake. He's a smart kid, really knows the game, and knows what he has to do to improve. We will expect him to put on about 20 or 25 pounds, though. But, again, like most players selected here, he's just a kid."

The Jackets traded Henrik Tallinder earlier in the draft to Vancouver for the 40th overall pick, which had belonged to the Dallas Stars. Again, the Jackets looked defense, selecting Daniel Krejci, younger brother of budding NHL star David Krejci.

"Daniel's the biggest project we selected. We think he has a ton of upside passing the puck. His skating may be a hindrance and that's something we're well aware of. But, he has a brother to communicate with and learn from. A guy who has been through this process already. We think he'll play significant time for us, but he will be on a different timeframe than Dylan and Pat. He was also blessed with the height that his brother didn't get," Burke added with a grin.

With their own pick at 48, the Jackets took their first forward of the draft. Burke has made it very clear that he has a soft spot for Finnish born players and Joonas Donskoi fit the bill.

"Make no mistake about it, he's a defensive liability. But we love his offensive upside. He's a safe pick in the sense that his offense will translate to the NHL. He'll probably have to be with two responsible forwards, but we have some tremendous young ones in the system."

The Jackets took a player in the third round with Buffalo's pick that might be a future linemate for Donskoi. The Jackets went back to their plan of a more defensive team with the selection of Patrick Cehlin.

"Cehlin was the safest pick on the board. We could have reached with a guy. We had our eyes on Charlie Coyle, but Taranu took him out from under us. But we're very happy with Cehlin and had him rated on the same wavelength. He's a very consistent, reliable player. You always jump at the chance to get those in the third round."

Columbus then took a long hiatus from the draft podium. Without a fourth round selection from the Mike Fisher trade, the Jackets looked at all possible opportunities to climb back in before the fifth. They did so with the final pick of the fourth round, selecting another defenseman, Nils Andersson.

"Honestly, we were shocked that Nils made it that far. He's a very good two-way guy and we feel like we should be able to incorporate him in to the lineup playing 13-14 minutes a game. Another safe pick. And we aren't using 'safe pick' like it's a bad thing. Getting a guy who will contribute as the 120th overall pick is tremendous."

For the second time in a month, the Jackets went to Mike Cleary's draft table and discussed a deal. Columbus had their eyes on a player in the fifth round and were very concerned that he wouldn't make it to their pick at 148. So, Burke pulled some more strings and moved up in the round to take Marek Racuk.

"It was all about the here and now. We gave up a couple picks for next season, but we had guys that we wanted this season. Marek's a guy who we liked because he'll fill a role that we're lacking. We felt that our third line got victimized against Nashville. Our top six is pretty solid. Our defense is adequate, but not great. We're still going to look to improve those areas, but you can never have enough role players."

The Jackets looked to fill an organizational need in the sixth round with goaltender Sam Brittain.

"We don't think he'll ever be an NHL caliber goaltender. But, good depth is hard to find at that position. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise us."

Columbus rounded off the last of its nine selections taking another project in the 7th round, prep schooler Alexander Guptill.

"Guptill's an intriguing player to us. Eventually, he may be good enough defensively to fill a checking line role. But, if not, he'll be a great character guy for us in Springfield."

When asked for an overall draft grade, Burke smiled and said "Ask me in two years". On the surface, the draft looks like a success because the Jackets filled organizational and philosophical needs. Any time you can do that, it has to be considered a positive.

+10 CH to Nils Andersson; +10 CH to Marek Racuk