NHL Draft: Who the experts think will be available for the Blue Jackets

If you're not ready for the NHL's silly season, it's time to get there.
With the Stanley Cup awarded to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the offseason is officially here. The NHL draft will begin one week from today, with free agency to follow next Friday.
Around those two major events, teams -- with their budgets and the salary cap impacted by the ongoing pandemic -- will likely be kicking off a trade frenzy as well, all with an eye on shaping their teams for the 2020-21 season and beyond.

So things will get fun over the next two weeks, and while we can't promise what moves are on the way for the Blue Jackets, we can assure you the draft will take place and a number of young prospects will be part of the organization.
As of right now, before any moves are made, Columbus owns the 21st pick in the first round as well as choices in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.
While the Blue Jackets have
excelled over the Jarmo Kekalainen years
at finding steals in the late rounds, the first-round pick is the one that carries the most interest going into the draft, especially after the team didn't have first-round picks in 2017 and '19.
So, who do the experts think the Blue Jackets will end up with at No. 21 overall?
History shows they'll get a viable NHL player
, with recent drafts trending toward big centermen being taken at that pick, but in the interest of looking ahead, we decided to see what a number of the NHL's top draft experts think will be available at that spot.
To do so, we averaged out the rankings of 13 talent evaluators to get a consensus of who might be available around pick No. 21. We used the first-round rankings from
Chris Peters
(ESPN+),
Bob McKenzie
(TSN),
Craig Button
(TSN),
Scott Wheeler
(The Athletic),
Sam Consentino
(SportsNet),
Ryan Kennedy
(Hockey News/SI),
Elite Prospects
,
McKeens Hockey
,
HockeyProspect.com
,
The Draft Analyst
,
ISS Hockey
,
Draft Prospects Hockey
and
FC Hockey
, then amalgamated their rankings into a master mock list.
Each player in each analyst's first-round rankings was given a point total based on their slot, with the player listed No. 1 in their list earning 31 points all the way down to the No. 31 player earning one point. Then we averaged the ratings to see what the consensus would show.
In a surprise to no one, Alexis Lafreniere came out as the top choice, as he was ranked No. 1 in every analyst's rankings and therefore earned the top spot in the consensus rankings. With the New York Rangers holding the top overall pick, the winger from Rimouski of the QMJHL will likely be donning a Broadway Blueshirt by next Tuesday night.
But what about the Blue Jackets? Below, we'll list the 11 prospects that ended up between 16 and 26 in the composite rankings, which should give you a pretty good idea which players will be available in the neighborhood in which Columbus will draft.
There's no guarantee any of the 11 players listed below will become a Blue Jacket. But this does represent who the experts think are rated as worthy of being drafted in the area where Columbus will pick.

Dylan Holloway, C, University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

6-0, 203
Consensus ranking: No. 16
Central Scouting ranking: No. 12 North American skater
Holloway seems to fit the late first-round mold as a center with size and upside. A native of Calgary, Holloway went through the Alberta Junior Hockey League, dominating with a 40-48-88 season two years ago with Okotoks before his freshman season last year with the Badgers, where he posted eight goals and 17 points in 35 games. He's described by Draft Prospects Hockey as a "strong, physical, two-way, playmaking centre. Plays like a bull in a china shop but with a touch of finesse," while Consentino writes, "Plays a power forward game that is highlighted by elite skating ability."

Rodion Amirov, LW, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)

6-0, 167
Consensus ranking: No. 17
Central Scouting ranking: No. 5 European skater
The general consensus is that Amirov's talent will have him off the board by the time the Blue Jackets draft, but while some see him as worthy of a top-15 pick, others have him rated as a late first-rounder. Amirov is coming off a season in which he played at all three levels in Russia -- juniors, their version of the AHL and the top-level KHL -- in the Ufa system, including 21 games at the KHL level with no goals and two assists. So far this season, he has a 2-2-4 line in seven games with the Salavat Yulaev Ufa big club. Draft Prospects Hockey describes Amirov as a "competitive, creative, two-way, jack-of-all-trades type winger. Excellent skater with jersey-flapping speed, strong edgework and quick change of direction."

Kaiden Guhle, LHD, Prince Albert (WHL)

6-2, 186
Consensus ranking: No. 18
Central Scouting ranking: No. 8 North American skater
The big defenseman has spent the past two seasons with Prince Albert, including an 11-29-40 campaign a year ago. The analysts seem pretty united in having him as a pick slated to go in the second half of the first round, though some have him a little higher and a couple others don't have Guhle as a first-round pick at all. For a CBJ team lacking defensive depth in the system down the road, he'd be an intriguing prospect. He's projected as a top-four blueliner, as Draft Prospects Hockey says Guhle is a "big, mobile, two-way defenseman who sets the tone with physical play."

Braden Schneider, RHD, Brandon (WHL)

6-2, 202
Consensus ranking: No. 19
Central Scouting ranking: No. 9 North American skater
Schneider is a bit all over the place in the rankings, with three of our 13 analysts not even listing him as a first-round pick but a couple of others seeing him as a top-15 talent. He might be exactly what the Blue Jackets are looking for, though, as a big, right-hand shot defenseman who could add to the team's depth sooner rather than later. He is coming off a seven-goal, 42-point season in 60 games with the Wheat Kings, and Draft Prospects Hockey says Schneider is a "smooth skating, physical, defense first defenseman" with passion. Consentino adds, "A safe bet as a more than capable defender with offensive upside that may develop down the road."

Mavrik Bourque, C, Shawinigan (QMJHL)

5-10, 178
Consensus ranking: No. 20
Central Scouting ranking: No. 24 North American skater
Bourque checks in as a late first-rounder in just about every analyst's ranking. He's obviously not the biggest pivot but he's filled up the score sheet the past two seasons with the Cataractes, totaling 54 goals and 71 assists for 125 points in 113 games. Draft Prospects Hockey describes Bourque as a "smart, quick, creative and highly competitive offensive centreman" who can play a top-six role down the road, which might be intriguing to a CBJ team that could be looking to add depth down the middle.

Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)

6-0, 179
Consensus ranking: No. 21
Central Scouting ranking: No. 13 North American skater
Lapierre might be the wild card of the whole first round -- largely because of injuries. Lapierre played just 19 games last season, totaling 17 points, because of what were thought to be concussion issues, though he says some of the complications were related to a spinal issue that was causing headaches and has since been fixed. The question is which team will feel comfortable taking him with such a high pick, but Lapierre could be one of the most talented players in the draft. Button has him as a top-10 talent, and Draft Prospects Hockey describes him as "an elite two-way playmaking centre" with incredible hockey sense.

Noel Gunler, RW, Luleå HF (Sweden)

6-2, 176
Consensus ranking: No. 22
Central Scouting ranking: No. 9 European skater
Gunler is already skating with the big boys in his native country, as he spent most of the season in the SHL a season ago at age 18 and turned in a season in which he had four goals and 13 points in 45 games for Luleå. He's a player that seems to be all over boards, with opinions varying on him to the point some see him as a potential top-10 pick and others have him out of the first round altogether. He's thought to be one of the draft's best scorers and boasts an excellent shot, but consistency seems to be the biggest concern among analysts.

Jacob Perreault, RW, Sarnia (OHL)

5-11, 192
Consensus ranking: No. 23
Central Scouting ranking: No. 17 North American skater
Pretty much a consensus late-round pick, Perreault has had no trouble scoring over the past two seasons with Sarnia, including a 39-31-70 line this past season in 57 games. The son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault is thought to be one of the better scorers available, though he might project better as a winger rather than a center, which could hurt his value some in a draft sense. Draft Prospects Hockey describes him as a "highly skilled sniper" who is "competitive and hard working on both sides of the puck."

Brendan Brisson, C, Chicago (USHL)

5-11, 179
Consensus ranking: No. 24
Central Scouting ranking: No. 20 North American skater
The American forward has a good pedigree, as the California native grew up in the Los Angeles Kings youth programs before playing for Minnesota prep power Shattuck St. Mary's then moving on to the USHL, where he had a 24-35-59 line in 45 games a year ago with the Steel. He's slated to play for the University of Michigan when the NCAA season begins. Draft Prospects Hockey has Brisson as a "scrappy, yet highly skilled, two-way centre" with an excellent one-timer who needs to improve on his skating as he matures.

Jan Mysak, C, Hamilton (OHL)

5-10, 175
Consensus ranking: No. 25 (tie)
Central Scouting ranking: No. 28 North American skater
Mysak has a lot of offensive upside, and he didn't take long to show it after moving to North America midway through this season. The Czech forward started last year in his native country but decided to come to the OHL, where he posted 15 goals and 25 points in 22 games for Hamilton upon arrival. Mysak could go much earlier based on talent alone, as some analysts have him as worthy of going in the top half of the first round, but others aren't quite as high and don't have him in the first round at all. Draft Prospects Hockey describes him as "a dynamically skilled, flashy offensive winger" who could be a top-six player down the road.

John-Jason Peterka, RW, EHC München (Germany)

5-11, 192
Consensus ranking: No. 25 (tie)
Central Scouting ranking: No. 7 European skater
While some players are all over the board when it comes to their spot in the analysts' rankings, Peterka is pretty consistently found in the bottom half of the first round, and his spot at No. 25 in their consensus poll shows that. The German forward spent last year playing in his home country's top league, posting seven goals and 11 points in 42 games. Draft Prospects Hockey describes Peterka as an "intense, highly driven, goal scoring winger" who likes to shoot the puck. Consentino says Peterka "plays a well-rounded mature game that includes good numbers up against men in a quality league proving to be a hotbed for young talent."