Blue Jackets look ahead to 21st pick in NHL draft

The Blue Jackets likely won't draft a Hall of Famer when they take to the virtual podium on Oct. 6 to make their first draft pick of 2020 at No. 21 overall.
Then again, they might.

It has happened once before, as the Edmonton Oilers chose Kevin Lowe at No. 21 overall -- which was then the last pick of the first round -- in 1979, only to see the defenseman win six Stanley Cups, play in seven All-Star Games and be chosen this past summer for the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It also wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Boston goalie Tuukka Rask (Toronto's pick at 21 in 2005) make the Hall once he retires down the road, while 1993's 21st overall pick, Saku Koivu of Montreal, is an IIHF Hall of Famer as well for his decorated NHL and international careers.
The point is there are potentially good if not great players to be had at No. 21 overall, which is where the Blue Jackets are expected to pick when the draft kicks off Oct. 6, though the NHL has not yet announced the final draft order. And with less than a month to go until the draft, it seemed like a good time to take a look at what history shows as the type of player who might be on the board.
Traditionally, it's a spot for a solid NHLer to come off the board, even in recent history. Every 21st overall pick from 2009 -- which was Blue Jackets draft pick John Moore, the only previous time Columbus has chosen at 21 overall -- until 2017 has already made it to the NHL, and most have been become league regulars.
Here's a quick look back at the last 10 players to go No. 21 overall to give Blue Jackets fans a sense of what the team might be picking with its first-round selection.
2019: F Samuel Poulin, Pittsburgh: Thought to be the top prospect in the Pens' organization, Poulin has been piling up the points with Sherbrooke of the QMJHL. Last year, the winger posted 32 goals and 77 points in 46 games after being drafted and is viewed as a creative player who can have an offensive impact at the NHL level.
2018: D Ryan Merkley, San Jose: The defenseman had no trouble racking up points at the OHL level, as he reached double digits in goals all four of his seasons with Guelph, Peterborough and London. This past year with the Knights, Merkley had a 15-61-76 line in 60 games, and he is viewed by many as the Sharks' top prospect. Signed by the Sharks, he has played two AHL games and is viewed as a playmaking, power-play defenseman at the NHL level.
2017: F Filip Chytil, New York Rangers: The big Czech centerman has wasted little time making an NHL impact, playing for the Rangers in each of the past three seasons. He made his debut at 18 years old in 2017-18 and has played in 144 games over the past three years, posting a 26-23-49 line. He had 14 goals and 23 points this past season at age 20, and he looks like someone whose scoring touch could blossom as he gains more experience.
2016: F Julien Gauthier, Carolina: A big, high-scoring winger out of the QMJHL, Gauthier made his NHL debut this past season with the Canes before being traded in February to the Rangers. In all, the 22-year-old played in 17 games this year -- five with Carolina, then 12 in New York -- and netted three assists. Gauthier has 53 goals in 119 games with Charlotte of the AHL over the past two seasons, so the scoring is there, it's just a matter of it blooming at the NHL level.
2015: F Colin White, Ottawa: The center from Boston College has been a regular part of the Sens lineup the two seasons, playing in 132 games in that span with 21 goals and 43 assists for 64 points. He has also earned power-play time and looks like a solid pivot who can chip in 40-50 points each season if he stays healthy.
2014: F Robby Fabbri, St. Louis: A key piece of the Blues' Stanley Cup team a year ago, Fabbri just completed his fifth NHL season with a 14-17-31 line in 52 games. The center from Guelph of the OHL has played in 216 games over his NHL career with 46 goals and 104 points, and he's averaged over half a point per game in four of his five seasons.
2013 F Frederik Gauthier, Toronto: What are the odds two Gauthiers would be taken in a four-year span at No. 21? A big center from Rimouski of the QMJHL, he's largely been a fourth-line presence for the Leafs since being drafted, playing in 168 games with a 13-18-31 line. He has been a regular the past two seasons and netted a career-high seven goals this past season, but Gauthier doesn't seem to project as a standout scorer at this ponit.
2012 F Mark Jankowski, Calgary: Another center with size (see a theme here?), the Providence College product has become a regular with the Flames the past three seasons. In 208 career games, he's been a bottom-six producer, totaling 36 goals and 64 points as an NHL player.
2011: F Stefan Noesen, Ottawa: The Plymouth Whalers product has become an NHL journeyman, it seems. He never played for the Sens, who traded him to Anaheim, where he made his NHL debut before moving on to play with New Jersey, Pittsburgh and San Jose. The winger split this year with the Pens and Sharks, combining for a 7-2-9 line in 40 games. In his career, he has 31-23-54 in 199 NHL games.
2010: F Riley Sheahan, Detroit: A - you guessed it - big center from Notre Dame, Sheahan has played in over 500 games but never become a high-level scorer despite some early success. Now with Edmonton, Sheahan has a 66-98-164 line in 513 games, as he's become a dependable, versatile two-way forward who has four seasons of double-digit goals to his credit.
2009: D John Moore, Columbus: Moore has carved out a long NHL career, but only 86 of his 532 NHL games have been with the Blue Jackets. He was sent to New York in the Marian Gaborik trade and has since played for the Rangers, Coyotes, Devils and Bruins, where he played 24 games this past season while dealing with injuries. Thought to be a potentially high-scoring defenseman coming out of the USHL, he has instead posted a 39-77-115 line in his career but has been a dependable part of blue line rotations throughout his career.
Other No. 21 overall picks of note from NHL history:
2007: F Riley Nash, Edmonton: Nash is notable for our purposes because he's a current Blue Jacket, as the center from Cornell has become a defensive specialist with some scoring punch at the NHL level. He topped out with a 15-goal, 41-point season with Boston in 2017-18 and has a career line of 61-104-165 in 541 NHL games.
2005: G Tuukka Rask, Toronto: Rask, of course, didn't make it with the Leafs but has shined in Boston, as the Bruins acquired him for fellow netminder Andrew Raycroft in 2006 and have watched the Finn become one of the league's most decorated goalies. He won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, captured the Vezina Trophy in 2014 and is 291-158-64 in his career with a 2.26 GAA and .922 save percentage in his career.
1996: F Marco Sturm, San Jose: More than 30 players born in Germany have played in the NHL over the years, and only one has played more games than Sturm, who carved out a 14-year career largely with San Jose but also with Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, Florida and Vancouver. A solid player known for his defensive play, Sturm found ways to contribute offensively as well, posting 242 goals and 487 points in 938 games.
1993: F Saku Koivu, Montreal: The Finnish forward spent 18 years in the NHL and was one of the most consistent players in the league, totaling double digits in goals 15 times but never scoring more than 22 in a season. The captain of the Canadiens for 10 seasons, he also beat cancer, which cost him most of the 2001 season, after which he was awarded the Masterton Trophy. Koivu finished with 255 goals and 832 points in 1,124 games in his career.
1990: F Bryan Smolinski, Boston: Smolinski was a good player over the course of a 15-year NHL career spent with eight teams, but most notably, he was born in Ohio. The Toledo native grew up in Genoa in northwest Ohio, then played at Michigan State before a career spent with the Bruins, Kings, Islanders, Senators, Penguins, Blackhawks, Canucks and Canadiens. Smolinski finished with a 274-377-651 line in 1,056 games, the second most ever for a player born in the Buckeye State.
1979: D Kevin Lowe, Edmonton: The six-time Stanley Cup winner and Hall of Famer set a standard of defensive excellence for those dominant Oilers teams, going plus-264 in 695 games from 1982-90. In his career, Lowe played 1,254 games in 15 seasons with the Oilers and four more with the New York Rangers, totaling 84 goals and 431 points.
1978: D Joel Quenneville, Toronto: The 21st overall pick was in the second round back then, and Quenneville had a solid career on the blue line with Hartford, Colorado/New Jersey, Toronto and Washington. The 'stache played 13 seasons, amassing a 54-136-190 line in 803 games before going on to a decorated coaching career that has featured three Stanley Cup victories, a Jack Adams Award and 925 wins in 23 seasons.
1975: F Dennis Maruk, California: The Golden Seals found gold in the second round when they took Maruk, as the center posted 356 goals and 878 points in 888 games in a 14-year career. He was also part of the NHL's musical chairs over the years, spending just one year in California before the franchise moved to Cleveland, spending two years as the Barons before the team then went to Minnesota to become the North Stars. He also played for Washington in his career.