For a team where success has been far from a consistent theme, the Columbus Blue Jackets have done a fairly good job in taking first-round draft choices.
These, of course, are the easiest picks to get right, as the Jackets have often been drafting early and players with the most talent stand out the most. Where issues have come for Columbus have been in asset management, in drafting after the first round, and in not bottoming out enough that an elite, No. 1 overall talent ends up in the team's lap rather than the third or fourth overall pick.
Be that as it may, with the NHL draft recently concluded, we thought it would be a good time to rank the team's first-round picks through history. This is somewhat ironic given the fact that for just the second time in franchise annals (joining 2011), the Blue Jackets did not have a first-round pick, with this year's shuttled to Vegas in the expansion draft deal.
Even without a pick this year, the Blue Jackets have tabbed 19 all-time first rounders, so that's our pool for the rankings. Rankings are totally subjective and based on a combination of NHL production, Jackets production, current potential, and whether Anze Kopitar should have been picked instead.
1. Rick Nash, 2002: It seems fair to say that by far the best move in the first decade of the franchise was moving up to take the London Knights star first overall. Nash debuted at age 18 with 17 goals in 2002-03 then shared the Rocket Richard Trophy a year later when he tied for first in the NHL with 41 goals. He became the franchise's first superstar and made five All-Star Game appearances as a Jacket, racking up a team record 289 goals and 258 assists for 547 points in 674 games over nine seasons, including 40 tallies in 2008-09 as the Jackets made the team's first-ever playoff appearance. He moved up to being team captain but was eventually traded to the New York Rangers in the summer of 2012 for a haul that included current Jacket Brandon Dubinsky as well as Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a No. 1 pick in 2013 that we'll get to in a little bit. Nash's status among fans remains complicated, but he was the only choice for this spot.
2. Zach Werenski, 2015: OK, this one might be a bit of a stretch, but I said potential is a part of this equation, and Werenski has all the makings of a superstar in the league. We've written about it ad nauseum, but his age 19 season almost defies comparison. In 78 games, he racked up 11 goals and 36 points for a Jackets rookie-record 47 points, all while playing a solid game in all three zones. And as head coach John Tortorella points out, he did it as a defenseman, a much more complicated position than the wing. He was just a Calder Trophy finalist and would have won in in the years when two freaks of nature weren't in the running. Werenski's future is so bright, he has to wear shades, and not just to protect any shiners below his right eye.
3. Ryan Johansen, 2010: Seeing 2010 here kind of blows my mind. It seems like too long ago, and also not long ago enough, which of course makes it about right. I said Nash's Blue Jackets legacy remains complicated, but Johansen's is that on steroids. He spent his tenure in Columbus alternately looking like a dominant force, acting like a superbly nice guy, drawing the ire of fans and coaches with seemingly indifferent play, and battling management over contract negotiations. In the end, he played in 309 games for the Blue Jackets, totaling 79 goals and 114 assists for 193 points, all of which rank seventh in franchise history. In the end, he was traded straight up for top-pair defenseman Seth Jones, one of those weird win-win deals you rarely see in sports.
4. Jakub Voracek, 2007: Voracek has proved to be a very solid scoring winger in the NHL but was traded before he had the chance to break out for Columbus. He, of course, went to Philadelphia in the trade that netted Jeff Carter, and the less said about that the better. Voracek played in just three campaigns for Columbus, posting a 39-95-134 line in 241 games. When he was traded at just age 21, Voracek looked like he was ready to burst onto the scene as an NHL player and did just that in Philly, where he has averaged 21 goals and 66 points per 82 games and made a pair of All-Star appearances.
5. Derick Brassard, 2006: It's really hard not to think about some alternate universe in which Columbus had just held on to Brassard and Voracek instead of trading each in inspired yet ultimately disappointing deals. One of those guys who has been good in the NHL but not often enough for the Blue Jackets, Brassard was another center who showed the skills to be a No. 1 at times. In fact, no center in franchise history was showing more promise than Brassard early in the 2008-09 season when the 21-year-old had a 10-15-25 line in his first 31 games. Then he separated his shoulder in an admirable but ultimately ill-advised fight with Dallas Stars forward James Neal (actually a thing) and was never quite the same. Brassard was merely a very good player upon his return, finishing with a 58-111-169 line in 309 games in Columbus before being traded late in the 2013 season as the Jackets acquired Marian Gaborik for a late-season playoff push. Brassard added some solid years in New York and has 382 points in 644 NHL games in 10 seasons.
6. Alexander Wennberg, 2013: OK, like Werenski, I might be putting him a spot or two higher than he should be, but he will keep adding to his Columbus legacy unlike the next few guys assuming he re-signs as a restricted free agent. Wennberg had a breakout season this past campaign at age 22, posting 13 goals and 46 assists for 59 points in 80 games, and it's fair to say if he keeps adding to his game he'll be the proverbial No. 1 center we've encountered a few times on this list (perhaps that means he'll soon be traded like his predecessors. I KID.). Taken 14th overall, the Swede has also proved to be a solid value pick for the midpoint in the draft.
7. Rostislav Klesla, 2000: The original Blue Jackets draft choice, Klesla was tabbed fourth overall in the team's first draft and saved what was a bust of a class after this pick. He matured into a steady but not flashy blueliner, playing 659 NHL games in 13 seasons. A full 515 of those came in Columbus, with Klesla scoring 41 goals with 92 assists and a minus-50 rating that sort of came with the territory of playing for the Jackets for so long. He stuck around long enough to be part of the first playoff appearance but was traded to Phoenix late in the 2011 season for Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepisto.
8. Nik Zherdev, 2003: In the mind, it's easy to picture Zherdev as a bust, as the Russian was tabbed fourth overall and had his fair share of issues fitting in with the Jackets. But his production was nothing to sneeze at, as the skilled Russian played in 283 games with Columbus and had 181 points. His best season was his final one in union blue, as he had a 26-35-61 line as a 23-year-old in 2007-08. Zherdev's offense-first (and perhaps only) play didn't quite fit in with the Ken Hitchcock regime, though, and he was traded to the Rangers with Dan Fritsche for defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman in the summer of 2008, a deal that helped the Jackets made the playoffs the next season. He spent just two more years in the league before returning to Russia but his 76 goals (seventh) and 181 points (eighth) remain in the top 10 in franchise history.
9. Pascal Leclaire, 2001: The Jackets took what they thought was their goaltender of the future eighth overall in their second draft, but the Quebec native really never cemented his spot in the lineup. He debuted in 2003-04 and spent five seasons in Columbus, getting into 125 games. Leclaire finished his Columbus tenure with a 45-55-12 record, 2.82 GAA and .907 save percentage before being sent to Ottawa at the 2009 deadline for Antoine Vermette, a deal that helped cement the team's first playoff push. After two years in Ottawa, Leclaire was done as an NHL goalie with 61 wins in 173 appearances.
10. Ryan Murray, 2012: It's hard to place Murray on this list, much for the same reasons it's hard to figure out exactly how he fits into the Jackets plans going forward. The No. 2 overall pick's career has been dogged by injuries, and even when healthy, he's shown to be more steady than flashy. But Murray was drafted to be a long-term solid option along the blue line and still has that chance as he's just 23 years old. The next few years will determine his final spot on this list, but so far, Murray has played in 220 NHL games, posting 11 goals and 49 helpers. He could continue being a third-pair D-man this season or blossom into something more, but the future appears to be his to write.
11. John Moore, 2009: Murray gets the nod on Moore because of potential, though Moore has turned in a solid journeyman NHL career after being picked 21st after the team's first-ever playoff run. Moore debuted with a cup of coffee in 2010-11 and was a full-time player a year later but had a 2-6-8 line in 86 games in Columbus before going to the Rangers in the Brassard/Gaborik deal. He's added stops in Arizona and New Jersey and has proved to be a useful if limited D-man with 25 goals and 56 points in 366 games.
12. Marko Dano, 2013: We're entering the realm where it's too early to judge how some of these guys will fit in eventually because their careers are so short at the pro level. Figuring out the talented, spirited Dano to this point has proved tough. He debuted with the Jackets at age 21 in 2014-15 and looked every bit worthy of his No. 27 overall choice, as the Austrian had 21 points in 35 games as a rookie. That was all the time he'd see in Columbus, though, as he went to Chicago in the Brandon Saad trade and then to Winnipeg for Andrew Ladd. He's been sidelined by injuries but has a career NHL line of 17-25-42 in 107 games, including just 11 points in 38 games last year.
13. Gabriel Carlsson, 2015: Carlsson burst onto the scene this past season, coming over from his native Sweden at the end of his campaign and immediately impressing. After a short cameo in Cleveland he was called up to play the final two games with the Blue Jackets and then was inserted into the playoff lineup, playing solid if unspectacular hockey against the Penguins. He was repeatedly praised by John Tortorella for his cool, collected nature at just 20 years old, and the No. 29 overall pick in the draft projects as a shutdown defensive defenseman. He could join fellow '15 first-round pick Werenski in Columbus this year or might end up bouncing back and forth depending on just how the roster shakes out, as the Jackets aren't short of NHL-caliber blueliners at the moment.
14. Pierre-Luc Dubois, 2016: The Blue Jackets moved up a spot in the NHL draft lottery for this draft and ended up taking the QMJHL forward third overall after an impressive display as a 17-year-old with Cape Breton. There, he put up 99 points in 62 games to earn the high pick, but this past year had ups and downs. He got off to a slow start, points-wise, with the Screaming Eagles and was sent to Blainville-Boisbriand, where his numbers picked up with 37 points in 28 games and then 22 points while helping the Armada to the league finals. Whether he'll be NHL ready next year remains a question (as does whether he'll play center or wing as he develops), but he appears back on the right track.
15. Sonny Milano, 2014: The No. 16 overall pick in his draft has become a polarizing figure among the fan base. Some see the undeniably talented forward as a bust in the making, others view him as a potential trade chip, and many say there's still enough time for him to contribute at the NHL level. There's no doubt the 20-year-old can make magic with the puck on his stick, but can he score at a high enough level and play enough of a 200-foot game to make it? His NHL results so far are paltry – no goals and one assist in seven games over two years – but he did lead the Monsters with 47 points in 63 games this past year and still has time to develop.
16. Gilbert Brule, 2005: As noted in the intro, whether the team should have picked Anze Kopitar is taken into account on this list, which is unfortunate for Brule, as he's the only player that applies to. There are plenty of stories, some surely apocryphal and some likely true, about why the Jackets did what they did with the sixth overall pick that year, but there's no denying the team ended up with the Alberta native. Brule played in 146 games with Columbus, posting a 12-20-32 line, before being dealt to Edmonton for Raffi Torres. He went on to skate for Phoenix as well and had 43 goals and 52 assists in 299 NHL games over eight seasons. Never a scoring star, Brule will always have the unfortunate fate of being compared with Kopitar, who has raised the Cup twice and racked up awards and points with the Los Angeles Kings since being taken five spots after Brule.
17. Kerby Rychel, 2013: He could still be something, but it won't be in Columbus. Rychel was taken 19th overall with the pick the Jackets received for Nash in his draft year, sandwiched between Wennberg and Dano, and projected as a big-bodied scorer with a top-level pedigree as the son of former NHL winger Warren Rychel. Instead, Kerby never shined in the organization, playing in 37 games over two seasons with two goals and 10 assists. After the 2015-16 season, he was shipped to Toronto for depth defenseman Scott Harrington, and he spent the most recent campaign with the Leafs' AHL team.
18. Nikita Filatov, 2008: What's funny about Filatov is that I remember watching that draft, and this was right after Columbus had had its fair share of issues with Zherdev. Filatov did interview after interview and spoke of how he wanted to come to America, work hard and just play, sounding like a model citizen at the time. Of course, now his Columbus legacy is the hilarious and self-explanatory phrase, "Filly don't do rebounds," and he sure didn't, did he? After scoring four goals in eight games (with a hat trick in his sixth career contest) as an 18-year-old in 2008-09, he added just two goals and seven assists in 36 more games in union blue. He was unceremoniously shipped to Ottawa in June 2011, and he played in just nine games with one assist with the Senators before returning to Russia.
19. Alexandre Picard, 2004: Anytime you take a forward eighth overall in the NHL draft and he ends up with as many goals for your team as the author of this post, it's not good. Picard had 165 points in his final two seasons of QMJHL hockey but his game clearly didn't translate to the NHL level, as he suited up in 67 games over five seasons with Columbus and notched zero goals and two assists. This was a generally mediocre draft after two guys you may have heard of in top overall pick Alex Ovechkin and No. 2 Evgeni Malkin, but solid NHL players were available; the No. 9 pick, Czech defenseman Ladislav Smid, went on to play 583 NHL games and even scored 12 goals. Which, as you may recall, was 12 more than Picard.