Everything Blue Jackets fans should know about the 2023 NHL Draft

Put on your boots and your cowboy hat. Nashville is the center of the NHL universe.

The hockey world has descended on Music City this week for the 2023 NHL Draft, and that means big things are about to happen. Not only will 224 prospects have new NHL organizations to call home once the picks are made, the fact that all 32 front offices are about to be on the draft floor together signals the heat on the offseason hot stove is about to be turned up.

We can't predict everything that will happen in Nashville, but we do know for sure this draft will have an outsized role in the future of the Blue Jackets. Columbus heads south with the No. 3 overall pick in a draft that many experts have been raving about for years, with no fewer than five players at the top described as potentially franchise-changing targets.

Four of them are centers, giving the Blue Jackets -- who are coming off a season in which the team finished 31st out of 32 teams in points -- a big chance to address a position of need.

"It's definitely a reward after the terrible season that we had," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "It's something good about finishing where we finished. We don't want to be in that situation anymore, so I think it's going to be an important piece for us moving forward and building forward."

READ MORE: NHL draft hub | RSVP for Wednesday's draft party

That means the Blue Jackets will have the opportunity to add someone who could alter the trajectory of the squad, and the recent track record shows Columbus has a keen eye on adding young standouts. Four players of the 16 chosen in the past two drafts by the Blue Jackets have already debuted with the team -- first-rounders David Jiricek (No. 6 overall, 2022), Kent Johnson (No. 5 overall, 2021) and Cole Sillinger (No. 12 overall, 2021) as well as 2021 third-round pick Stanislav Svozil -- and a number of others have continued to impress in the junior ranks and internationally.

The Blue Jackets as of this moment have seven picks in the draft after trading a first-rounder acquired from Los Angeles at the trade deadline to Philadelphia earlier this month for defenseman Ivan Provorov. In addition to the No. 3 overall pick, the Blue Jackets retain their own picks in rounds two through four (Nos. 34, 66 and 98) as well as the seventh round (No. 194). Columbus also holds Winnipeg's pick in the fourth round (No. 114) and Boston's in the fifth (No. 156).

So how will it all shake out? If you're a Blue Jackets fan, here's what to know about the NHL draft before it kicks off this evening.

Schedule of Events

The draft will kick off tonight at Bridgestone Arena at 7 p.m. ET, with round one taking place that evening; rounds two through seven then take place tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. ET. Expect a musical feel to the series of events, including a live concert on Broadway featuring country star Jo Dee Messina tonight.

Consensus top 10

Each year, I've compiled a consensus poll of the top 32 prospects in the draft, based on where notable analysts have ranked the best players available. You can see the whole list here along with their accomplishments and statistics, but here's a quick look at the top 10. (Heights and weights as well as positions are those listed by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.)

1. C Connor Bedard | 5-9¾, 185| Regina (WHL) | No. 1-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

2. C Adam Fantilli | 6-2, 195 | University of Michigan (NCAA) | No. 2-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

3. C Leo Carlsson | 6-3, 198 | Orebro (Sweden) | No. 1-ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting

4. RW Matvei Michkov | 5-10, 172 | SKA St. Petersburg and HK Sochi (KHL) | No. 2-ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting

5. C Will Smith | 5-11¾, 181 | U.S. National Team Development Program | No. 3-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

6. LW Zach Benson | 5-9, 163 | Winnipeg (WHL) | No. 6-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

7. RW Ryan Leonard | 5-11½, 192 | U.S. National Team Development Program | No. 5-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

8. C Dalibor Dvorsky | 6-1, 201 | AIK (Sweden) | No. 3-ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting

9. C Oliver Moore | 5-11, 188 | U.S. National Team Development Program | No. 8-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

10. RHD David Reinbacher | 6-2, 185 | EHC Kloten (Switzerland) | No. 5-ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting

The Vibe

One thing that everyone agrees on is Bedard will be chosen first overall by Chicago after posting historic production both in junior hockey with Regina of the WHL as well as in his international appearances thus far. Where things go from there is a matter of some speculation; though 13 of the 15 lists used in the consensus poll have Fantilli as the second-best prospect available, some have wondered exactly what Anaheim plans at No. 2. No matter where the Ducks go, though, most agree there will be game-breakers available to the Jackets at No. 3, with the team having the choice of where to go from there. There's always the chance Columbus -- or others -- will shake things up, but it's also fair to say it would be a shock if the Blue Jackets take anyone outside of the top five players listed above.

Four Potential Choices at No. 3

Once Bedard is off the board, Columbus will have options no matter whom the Ducks choose. We profiled Fantilli, Carlsson, Michkov and Smith last week, but here's what fans should know about each.

1. Adam Fantilli: The Canadian center dominated at Michigan a year ago, posting the best points-per-game mark (1.81; 65 points in 36 games) in Division I hockey since fellow Wolverine Kyle Connor in 2015 and becoming the third freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's best player. The others? Recent Stanley Cup winner Jack Eichel and Hockey Hall of Famer Paul Kariya, and that's pretty good company to be in. Fantilli has size, snarl and loads of skill; if you're looking for a No. 1 center to build around, why not start there?

2. Leo Carlsson: Carlsson made his pro debut in Sweden at age 16 and impressed internationally at both the World Juniors and World Championships this past season. He had 25 points in 44 games with Orebro this year, and while that might not sound like much, the only draft-eligible players to top that mark in the SHL before being drafted are names you know -- Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Elias Lindholm and Nicklas Backstrom. He's the biggest of the options size-wise, and while he might not ever be a true gamebreaker, he projects as a No. 1 center who does it all.

3. Matvei Michkov: It seems unlikely the Blue Jackets will go with Michkov for a variety of reasons, including the fact Kekalainen has said the team is targeting a center. A wing, Michkov also has had limited viewings from scouts because of the geopolitical situation, and he's also inked to stay in the KHL for the next three seasons. But talent always could win out, and he has loads of it, including one of the best U-18 World Championships performances ever (12 goals in seven games) in his last international outing two summers ago. When the name Alex Ovechkin is being tossed around as a comp, you have to listen.

4. Will Smith: Perhaps the most offensively gifted player of the group, Smith brings pure skill to the table, including great hands and the ability to create something out of nothing. He used those talents to post 127 points this year with the USNTDP, the second-best season ever for the national U-18 squad. He's second all-time to only Jack Hughes in points in his two years with the program and tied Hughes' American record with 20 points at the World U-18s this spring while winning gold. That's good company to be in.

Five Potential Choices at No. 34

It's exceedingly difficult to project anything outside of the top few picks in the NHL draft, but we did accurately forecast the players Columbus would eventually pick at both Nos. 6 and 12 last year (Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk, respectively). Maybe we're feeling confident, but let's give it a go.

1. Andrew Cristall: One of the hardest things to find in hockey is game-breaking offensive talent, and Cristall brings it. He finished sixth in the WHL in scoring (39-56-95 in 54 games) this year and was on Canada's U-18 Worlds squad. Size and skating are the big knocks, but Cristall still checked in 20th in our consensus poll. Small wingers tend to fall at the draft, though, and Columbus did well a year ago to grab Jordan Dumais in the third round. Could Cristall follow a similar path?

2. Gavin Brindley: We could say similar things about Brindley as we did Cristall, as he's listed at 5-8½. Central Scouting lists him as a center, though, and Brindley's size didn't hurt him this past year when he had a 12-26-38 line in 41 games as a freshman at Michigan this past year and earned plaudits for his high compete level and smarts. Columbus already has a fair share of Wolverines on the roster; if the Blue Jackets don't get Fantilli, will they go blue in the second round? He's ranked 24th in our consensus poll.

3. David Edstrom: Ranked 32nd in our consensus poll, Edstrom is a 6-2¾, 185-pound center who played with Frolunda of the SHL this past year. He had a little success in a short time frame, posting two goals and two assists in 11 games, and also was solid with five goals in seven games at the World U-18s. Big centers with scoring ability tend not to last long, but Edstrom could end up being a diamond in the rough despite being ranked the No. 25 International skater by Central Scouting.

4. Lukas Dragicevic: Most rankings have him as a second-rounder, and Dragicevic just barely missed our top 32 in the consensus poll. Right-hand shot blueliners don't grow on trees -- even if Columbus has a surplus of them at the moment -- and Dragicevic is coming off a 15-60-75 line in 68 games with Tri-City of the WHL this year. Columbus has a fairly stocked pool of defensemen, but if the Blue Jackets want to go blue line, he could be in the mix.

5. Michael Hrabal: Columbus could be due to pick a goalie, and three netminders -- Hrabal, Canadian Carson Bjarnason and American Trey Augustine -- got first-round votes in our consensus poll. We'll go with Hrabal here, though, as the Czechia goalie was impressive internationally (.920 save percentage at the World U-18s) and with Omaha of the USHL (2.86 GAA). He's bound for UMass, and with excellent size at 6-6¼, he might have the highest upside of any goalie in the draft.

Storylines to Follow

Trade talk: Kekalainen is no stranger to swinging big trades at the draft, acquiring Artemi Panarin at the 2017 selection show, plus swinging two deals in 2021 with Chicago and Philadelphia that sent out Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson for a bevy of picks, prospects, Sillinger and Jakub Voracek. So, could No. 3 overall be on the blocks? Despite the fact Twitter can't seem to get enough of such a proposition, it seems very unlikely. Kekalainen has said the Jackets would have to be bowled over by a potential transaction, and he's 99.9 percent likely to stay and make the third overall pick. That doesn't mean other moves won't be in the offing, though, as the CBJ general manager has a history of being active here.

Talking goalies: Columbus has taken just four goalies in the last eight drafts, and Columbus retains the rights to only two of them -- Russians Daniil Tarasov, who has made it to the NHL, and Sergei Ivanov, chosen last year. The team has inked Jet Greaves and Nolan Lalonde to contracts, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see the team try to keep adding to the goalie pipeline. There are thought to be some solid netminders in the draft, and there could be a run on goalies somewhere in the second or third round once a few come off the board. If you want one, you might want to try to get ahead of that.

Youngstown Boys:We always like to include an Ohio tie here, and this year, that means a focus on the Youngstown Phantoms, who won the Clark Cup as champions of the USHL, the top junior league in America. The Phantoms had a CBJ draft pick -- 2022 seventh-rounder James Fisher -- on the squad, so the Blue Jackets should be familiar with the roster, and NHL Central Scouting placed six Phantoms in its final rankings. That list includes RW William Whitelaw (No. 42-ranked North American skater, 35-25-60 in 60 games), LHD Andrew Strathmann (No. 44, 3-34-37 in 54 games), RW Martin Misiak (No. 45, 5-10-15 in 25 games), C Brandon Svoboda (No. 66, 15-10-25 in 57 games) and C Matthew Perkins (No. 165, 15-28-43 in 58 games) plus Jacob Fowler (27-9-3, 2.28, .921), the No. 5-ranked North American goalie.

International flavor:The Blue Jackets are no strangers to picking players from across the world, drafting prospects from 10 different countries over the past six drafts. That list includes Canada (12), Russia (seven), Sweden (five), the United States (four), Czechia (three), Finland (two) and then one apiece from Slovakia, Norway, Switzerland and France. Two countries to take note of this year are Austria and Slovakia. Defenseman David Reinbacher is set to become the third Austrian taken in the first round of the last four drafts (following Marco Rossi and Marco Kasper), while Slovakia had three first-round picks last year and could have two more this year in Dalibor Dvorsky and Samuel Honzek. Goalie Adam Gajan also could go high.