Blue Jackets first round picks

[yave1964]

  With Rusty Klesla ringing down the curtain on a mediocre career, the original Blue Jacket has moved on back to Europe and has given me a moment to reflect on the Blue jackets first round picks in their history through their first ten seasons.

 Klesla was the first pick in the history of the franchise, he went on to have a long career as a stay at home defenseman non distinguishable from any other.

 

 He was followed by Pascal Leclaire, a mediocre goalie who had one good year and hung around for a little while before moving on to Europe.

 

 Next was the greatest player in franchise history, Rick Nash. Great pick. After that it is impossible to read the list of first rounders without writhing on the ground either in agony or hysterical laughter.

 

 Following Nash, in order are:

Nikoley Zherdev

Alexandre Picard

Gilbert Brule

Derick Brassard

Jacub Voracek

Nikita Filitav

John Moore

 

  Let me make it clear that Varacek and even Brassard have turned into solid NHL vets, but ONLY after being dealt out of Columbus. Both were considered somewhat of a disappointment in Columbus.

  Voracek went to the Flyers along with Couturier for Carter in an absolutely wretched deal, while Brassard was part of the payment for Gaborik, a deal that the Jackets clearly lost. Both were considered as good players in Columbus who did not live up to their potential but they were the BEST of the bunch other than Nash.

 

  Zherdev was the prototypical floater from Europe going up and down his wing, Picard never came close to making it, Brule was a horrible pick, Filitav never adapted to North America and John Moore was passed on the depth chart and is now the seventh d-man for the Rangers.

  And it is not as if they were late first rounders. In order, their first nine picks were selections 4,8,1,4,8,6,6,7,6 and 21. So in the first ten years they had a top 8 pick NINE times and with the exception of Nash swung and missed with alarming regularity.

 

  within the next three picks almost every year was a player the Jackets would have done so much better by drafting.

 

Klesla  2 picks later Scott Hartnell

Leclaire the next pick Tuomo Ruutu

Zherdev  next pick Thomas Vanek 2 picks later Ryan Suter

Picard next pick Ladislav Smid (Not a great player but miles ahead of Picard

Brule 4 picks later Kopitar

Brassard next pick Okposo

Voracek 2 picks later Logan Couture

Filitav two picks later Boedker

John Moore 3 picks later Marcus Johansson

 

  Every club has people they miss on but NOBODY in my memory has this many year in and year out as the Jackets for a decade.

 

  The last four years signs of life with the picks of players such as Ryan Johansson, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray and three solid picks in the first round last year. But for a decade there it was like watching a train crash every year wondering what player would watch his career derail by being taken by the Jackets.

  Seriously, with players such as Nash, Hartnell, Vanek, Kopitar, Okposo, Couture, Boedker, and Johansson and a smart mix of free agents this club would have been a serious contender long ago. Instead they are just now awakening from their slumber and showing signs of life.

  Now the poor free agent signings by the Jackets are a complete other list............

 

 

[flyercanuck]

@yave1964

 

 Doug MacLean takes a lot of (well-earned) abuse on Hockey Central for his drafting when he was a the Blue Jackets helm. Of course he always plays the Nash card.

 

 it's funny, but when rumours came out Carter was likely to get dealt from Philly, my opinion was I'd trade him for parts of two packages. One was to LA for Brayden Schenn (who Richards was eventually traded for). The other was to Columbus for Johanson (he did get traded there but for Voracek + 8th). Was a big fan of both.

[yave1964]

@yave1964

 

 Doug MacLean takes a lot of (well-earned) abuse on Hockey Central for his drafting when he was a the Blue Jackets helm. Of course he always plays the Nash card.

 

 it's funny, but when rumours came out Carter was likely to get dealt from Philly, my opinion was I'd trade him for parts of two packages. One was to LA for Brayden Schenn (who Richards was eventually traded for). The other was to Columbus for Johanson (he did get traded there but for Voracek + 8th). Was a big fan of both.

  I cannot fathom how he could play the Nash card. With the first pick in the draft due to the wretchedness of this third year franchise and Nash the clear cut number one I do not see how he can take credit for doing the obvious.

[Polaris922]

@yave1964

Good post bud

[yave1964]

@yave1964

Good post bud

  Why thank you sir. Good luck this week, playing you in the philly.com league. Like dejavu, lol

[flyercanuck]

  I cannot fathom how he could play the Nash card. With the first pick in the draft due to the wretchedness of this third year franchise and Nash the clear cut number one I do not see how he can take credit for doing the obvious.

 

 

 It's the only card in the deck he had.

[Polaris922]

  Why thank you sir. Good luck this week, playing you in the philly.com league. Like dejavu, lol

 

 

Don't worry bud... I pretty much gave up a long time ago.   LOL 

[jammer2]

Doug MacLean takes a lot of (well-earned) abuse on Hockey Central for his drafting when he was a the Blue Jackets helm. Of course he always plays the Nash card.

 

 It *was* funny, the first 2 or 3 times, then I found myself wondering what I was doing watching this has been. I don't agree with much he says, even today...unless he is stating the obvious, something McLean is pretty good at. How he makes a living as an analyst is beyond me....unless he is playing the pity card....lol.,

[flyercanuck]

@jammer2

 

 I just listen on the radio (I never understood watching a radio program) The one good thing is they are connected to NHL players and management fairly well so you get to hear from a lot of people in the know. Sometimes it's funny listening to him and Kypreos go at each other...and if it gets old I'll switch to TSN. Or music.

[jammer2]

@flyercanuck  Hated Kyproes as a player, love him as an announcer, agree with him a lot. He also seems pretty well connected, a lot of respectable sources it seems.