Blue Jackets transform roster on first day of NHL Draft

In one day, the Blue Jackets changed the complexion of their immediate and long-term futures.
Gone is Seth Jones, the standout who spent six years patrolling the CBJ blue line. Added are two NHL-ready defensemen and three first-round picks, talent that replenishes the Blue Jackets as they try to build themselves back up from 2021's last-place finish in the Central Division.
Forwards Kent Johnson (fifth overall) and Cole Sillinger (12th overall) as well as defenseman Corson Ceulemans (25th) were picked in the first round of Friday night's NHL draft, joining the Blue Jackets along with trade acquisitions Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean in a dramatic series of moves that will reshape the roster.

"In a way it's a bittersweet day but exciting, and I think we accomplished a lot," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "With the picks that we made, they were exactly who we basically targeted and thought we would get with those picks. ... We're very excited about the picks we got."

Johnson and Sillinger each bring elite offense and goal-scoring ability to the equation. For Johnson, it's his playmaking skill that stands out, as he can simply do things most other players can't with his hands, creating offensive opportunities out of seemingly nothing. He used those skills to total 101 points in 52 games two years ago with Trail of the BCHL, then had 27 points in 26 games this past season with the University of Michigan.
"Kent Johnson is a very, very talented player and a great playmaker," Kekalainen said. "Just very, very skilled and dynamic."
Projected by most outlets to go somewhere between six and 10 in the draft, instead he went fifth to Columbus.
"I thought I could be higher than some of the rankings, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter," said Johnson, who helped Michigan players/recruits comprise four of the top five picks in the draft. "I'm just so happy to end up here in Columbus. I think it'll be an awesome fit."
Sillinger, of course, is the son of former Blue Jackets centerman Mike Sillinger, and the younger version brings a lot of the same attributes to the table as his dad, a 17-year NHL veteran. Noted for an excellent shot that he can get off from a variety of angles, Cole has been a solid scorer in some of the best junior leagues in the world, posting 22-31-53 in in 48 games with Medicine Hat of the WHL two years ago and placing fourth in the USHL in points per game last year when he had a 24-22-46 line in 31 games with Sioux Falls.
He is the first draft pick of the team to be the son of a former player and actually was born in Ohio when his father was playing with the Jackets during his 155-game tenure in union blue from 2001-03.
"I felt a very relieved when it happened, knowing I'm going to such a prestigious organization like Columbus," he said. "I'm very excited. I was born in Columbus and my dad played there. I'm really excited to get back there."
Ceulemans adds another defenseman to the pipeline as an offensively gifted blueliner with a good shot who also brings character and determination to the table. The 6-2, 197-pound right-hand shot had no trouble putting up points with Brooks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, posting 5-30-35 in 44 games two years ago and a 4-7-11 line this past season in just eight games. The University of Wisconsin-bound defenseman also won gold with Canada in the World Under-18 Championships, totaling a goal and seven assists in six games.
"You just are sitting there the whole time waiting for your name to be called -- really anxious, really nervous," he said of waiting until going in the final quarter of the first round. "It's a huge relief when my name got called. I was just so excited. I couldn't be happier."
Meanwhile, immediate help on the blue line will come from Boqvist and Bean, each of whom has two seasons of NHL work under his belt and was an NHL regular a year ago.

Boqvist was acquired as part of a blockbuster deal that sent Jones to Chicago to join his brother Caleb. The trade was largely expected with Jones set to hit the free agent market after the upcoming season, with the CBJ assistant captain going to the Blackhawks along with the 32nd overall pick and a 2022 sixth-rounder for Boqvist, the first-round pick that netted Sillinger, a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 first-rounder.
Boqvist, 20, was the eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Blackhawks, and the Swedish defenseman has played in 76 games over the past two seasons with Chicago, notching six goals and 23 assists for 29 points. He was a standout with London of the OHL in 2018-19, posting a 20-40-60 line in 54 games.
Bean, meanwhile, was part of a second deal that sent the second-round pick acquired from Chicago to Carolina in exchange for the 23-year-old defenseman. The 2016 first-round pick found a home on the Carolina blue line this past year, posting a goal and 12 points in 42 games after a two-game cameo with the Hurricanes two years ago.
Both have the ability to play a two-way game, can run a power play -- a key piece of the puzzle for Kekalainen -- and likely have their best hockey ahead of them.
"Those guys are going to go right into our roster and make us better and stronger there, deeper," Kekalaien said. "I think it's an exciting time for us."