Before on this blog, I did a mock draft by team, but in that mock draft the draft order wasn’t determined yet so it throws off the picks a bit. So In this mock draft, I will be doing a mock draft with the Columbus Blue Jackets because they have three first round picks this year.
Related: NHL Mock Draft By Team Part 2
Columbus Blue Jackets’ 2021 Draft Picks
5-Simon Edvinsson
25-Fyodor Svechkov
32-Sasha Pastujov
69-Ville Koivunen
101-Daniil Lazutin
132-Jack O’Brien
133-Isaac Beliveau
165-Graham Sward
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 3 first round picks in the 2021 draft, which gives them an opportunity to completely rebuild the core of their team if they draft right. With their first pick in the 2021 draft, the Blue Jackets draft Simon Edvinsson, a smooth skating 6-foot-4 defenseman with massive upside. Edvinsson has all the tools to be a top pair defenseman in the NHL with his elite skating and defensive skills and his massive offensive upside. It is important that the Blue Jackets get a replacement for Seth Jones ready in the system because he most likely will be traded in the offseason. Adding Edvinsson gives Columbus the freedom to trade Seth Jones knowing they have a number 1 defenseman in the pipeline ready to take his place very soon.
With the other two picks in the first round, the Columbus Blue Jackets draft Fyodor Svechkov and Sasha Pastujov. Fyodor Svechkov is a top notch defensive forward, who excels at shutting down opponent top forwards; this will help him make the team very quick because even if his offensive numbers aren’t there, he can still be counted on to shut down top players and play on the penalty kill. Sasha Pastujov is a terrific playmaker and puck handler that constantly creates scoring chances for himself and his teammates in the offensive zone. His offensive abilities is much need for the Blue Jackets because they really don’t have a high end offensive talent in the lineup right now.
In the 3rd round the Blue Jackets draft Ville Koivunen, a player with game breaking talent, and wants to make something happen every shift. Koivunen’ smarts are high-end and he’s got a large box of other very projectable tools at his disposal. Then in the 4th round Columbus drafts Daniil Lazutin, a Russian center with good size who was originally thought of as one of the premier prospects playing in Russia after a Steller showing in the Under-17 Challenge.
He has a toolkit that includes high end skill, good feet, a shot, and the ability to break games open with his creativity. However, Lazutin was highly inconsistent last season which caused his draft stock to plummet; despite this, his skill should be enough to make him a fourth round pick this year.
The Blue Jackets have two 5th round picks in the 2021 draft, and use them to select Jack O’Brien and Isaac Beliveau. Jack O’Brien is a well rounded player who is good defensively and is an Excellent face-off man. He is a strong battler down low and very good at keeping the opposing defense hemmed in. He doesn’t score a whole lot, but he certainly has value due to his defensive abilities and faceoff skills. Isaac Beliveau, a fluid skating defenseman who has a smart three zone game. Beliveau is an excellent power play QB; he is good at waling the blue line to creating shooting and passing lanes. As good as Beliveau is offensively, he is a subpar defender, which makes a perfect pick for the 5th round because he is prospect that will need time to develop.
In the 6th round, the Blue Jackets draft Graham Sward is a tall offensive defenseman with good skating skills and good offensive instincts, however he is far from a two-way defender and will need to improve on his gap control as well as his play in the defensive zone in general.
With the Draft picks made in the 2021 draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets added a stud defenseman (Edvinsson) and two solid prospect defenseman (Beliveau and Sward).
Columbus also drafted two great defensive minded centers (Svechkov and O’Brien) and two elite offensive wingers (Pastujov and Koivunen). Daniil Lazutin is the one player that can put them over the top because has the offensive skillset to be a top line center.
Related: Detroit Red Wings Mock Draft
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