Green Jackets Pick Lindstrom Over Multiple Trade Packages – Hockey Writers –

The big question coming into Round 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft is where exactly will the draft start? Everyone knew who the San Jose Sharks were taking. Most people knew that the Chicago Blackhawks were considering two more players.

The Anaheim Ducks pick was very difficult to pin down. The betting markets exploded last Friday when Zeev Buium’s name was in third rumours. They still surprised most of the hockey world with their selection of Beckett Sennecke. However, trading the third pick was a no-brainer.

The 2024 NHL Draft began with the Columbus Blue Jackets. When the draft passed to the Ducks, there were a few rumblings that a fourth pick was in play.

Setting the Scene

Friday morning, there was a text on my phone about the Blue Jackets’ potential Friday night. The text simply said “it could be a blowout day for the Blue Jackets today.” Fourth overall was the pick of several teams targeted for a contract.

Throughout Thursday through Friday, we began to hear who some of these groups are. The Philadelphia Flyers were mentioned by both TSN and Sportsnet to varying degrees in terms of what they have to offer. The 32 Thoughts Podcast continued to talk about the Carolina Hurricanes with a package surrounding Martin Necas.

After the end of the first round, Pierre LeBrun dropped a bombshell when he said the Chicago Blackhawks tried to trade him fourth overall after taking the second pick.

For all the credit the Blackhawks were considering Ivan Demidov second overall, it was obvious they wanted to get him once they got the fourth pick. The Blue Jackets’ package would have included an unprotected 2025 first-round pick. Given that the Blackhawks are still in the middle of a rebuild, that’s a bold deal to try to make if they can be in the top 10 of a deep 2025 draft.

But in everything, it is the blue jackets that say no to everything that is done in their way. When it was their turn to make their fourth pick, they walked up to the podium and chose their highest ranked player behind Macklin Celebrini. That was 6-foot-3 center Cayden Lindstrom.

Lindstrom was the Blue Jackets’ All-Time Greatest Player

GM Don Waddell spoke to Blue Jackets radio and the combined media after the first round. In both cases, he said there was a backup plan in place when Lindstrom was unavailable.

Waddell also emphasized the need to make these choices carefully. Of Lindstrom, Waddell said “You’re not going to find this type of player at any number, 15 or something like that. That was important to us.”

In the end, the Blue Jackets chose Lindstrom over any trade packages thrown their way. The Combine the Blue Jackets were accused of him. They appeared to be paying close attention to his fitness test. They took him and a few others to dinner.

Given the need for elite centers with size, skill and speed, it was reasonable to believe he was a target of the Blue Jackets all along. The two wild cards were Lindstrom’s life and where the other players fit into the team’s final lineup.

Lindstrom at the Combine said he’s ready to go. He worked 5-6 days a week and skated 3-4 days a week. Groups that had medical access felt comfortable where everything was.

The Blue Jackets now boast one of the best young ice centers in the NHL with Lindstrom joining Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger. Suddenly it’s not just speed and skill, there’s size down the middle. The capacity of the interglacial ice cap for many years was too great to be exhausted.

Lindstrom was the Blue Jackets best all time.

Trade Talk

Two things here in the trade. If Lindstrom was taken in the third, Waddell said they have a backup plan to complete the trade, which would likely be for Demidov. An interesting reception. It says they think trading down will be the best play even if Demidov is there.

With a good number of draft experts believing that Demidov is the second most talented player in this draft, it’s very interesting to see the blue jackets perhaps not feeling this way. One thing the organization has going for it is young players. Maybe that was part of their thinking. We will never know.

In addition, depending on what the actual return was, the Blue Jackets may have a pick a few spots lower in the first round. That would be a great position to take one of the top defenders. Buium, Dickinson and Parekh all made it to the top eight. It really was Lindstrom or Bust for the Blue Jackets on Friday night.

Another part of this trade discussion is what else might be coming. Waddell told Dylan Tyrer “We have a lot of things cooking.” With Day 2 of the draft starting Saturday morning, we could see a league-wide trade involving big-name players.

The Blue Jackets already traded Alex Texier on Friday. They couldn’t justify spending more than $2 million a season on a bottom-six player on their roster. They received a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Blues in that deal.

Other RFAs are available. Patrik Laine may face it, although that may be difficult since he is still in the program. He can be sold while on the show, but no one can talk to him personally.

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Waddell said we could see 5-6 new faces on the Blue Jackets roster when the new season opens. That leaves the door open for more commercial activity. It’s just a matter of realizing that something will come true.

The team chose to pick 36th overall to make it look like they have a player they like on their current roster. They started Day 2 with six picks. Waddell’s phone must be busy.

The Blue Jackets spent Friday night at the Sphere reshaping their lineup while adding a key piece at center ice. Neither trade was good enough for them to move away from Lindstrom. That’s what the first half of the 2024 NHL Draft will be remembered for from the Blue Jackets’ perspective.