Blue Jackets looking to speed up rebuild following Jones trade

The Columbus Blue Jackets made the difficult move they needed to make by trading defenseman Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, kick-starting what they hope will be a quick rebuild.

That process included selecting three players, centers Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger, and defenseman Corson Ceulemans, in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft with six more picks coming in Rounds 2-7 on Saturday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN NOW).
"I think it's an exciting time for us," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "We had to deal with what we had to deal with and made the trade and move on and keep building."
The Blue Jackets continued moving on Saturday, trading forward Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Jakub Voracek. The Blue Jackets selected Voracek with the No. 7 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft and he played three seasons for them before being traded to the Flyers in 2011. Atkinson played 10 seasons for Columbus and was part of its leadership group with captain Nick Foligno, who was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 11, and Jones.
Jones had been a cornerstone in his six seasons with the Blue Jackets, who last season failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015-16 after they tied the Detroit Red Wings for last in the eight-team Discover Central Division.
But with one season remaining on the six-year contract he signed June 29, 2016, the 26-year-old didn't want to commit to Columbus long term. Rather than risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent next offseason, the Blue Jackets traded him to the Blackhawks for defenseman Adam Boqvist, a first-round pick (No. 12) and a second-round selection (No. 44) in the 2021 NHL Draft, and a first-round pick in the 2022 or 2023 NHL Draft.

Columbus also gave up a first-round pick (No. 32, originally belonging to the Tampa Bay Lightning) and a sixth-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft.
"[Jones] did not want to sign an extension with the Blue Jackets with one year remaining on his contract, so we decided to do the best that we can to get the return that we need as we continue to grow as a franchise," Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson told ESPN.
"Seth's a great guy, he's a great player, he had every right in the world to do what he did, and I don't hold [anything] against him one bit. I know he loves this place, but he made a decision personally and professionally for himself."
And the Blue Jackets did what was best for them.
Columbus envisions Boqvist, who turns 21 on Aug. 15, playing on one of its top two defense pairs and running the point on its power play. Selected by Chicago with the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Boqvist has scored 29 points (six goals, 23 assists) in 76 regular-season games.
The Blue Jackets used the second-round pick they received from the Blackhawks to acquire another young defenseman, Jake Bean from the Carolina Hurricanes. The 23-year-old scored 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 42 games as a rookie this season and one goal in 11 playoff games.
"We obviously lost a really good defenseman that logged a lot of minutes for us, but at the same time, we added two young defensemen that can play in the league right now and they've played on good teams," Kekalainen said. "Chicago, I think, had Boqvist play almost 17 minutes a game (16:59) and Jake Bean played on one of the best teams in the league and played in a pretty big role at the end. So those guys are going to go and add right into our roster and make us better and stronger there and deeper."

Columbus' three first-round picks will also help in that area.
Selecting Johnson with the No. 5 pick and Sillinger with the No. 12 pick addressed a need for the Blue Jackets at center. Johnson, who was ranked the No. 3 North American skater available by NHL Central Scouting, shifted to left wing this season and scored 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 26 games for the University of Michigan, but Kekalainen anticipates him playing center in the NHL.
Sillinger, the No. 10 North American skater and son of former Blue Jackets forward Mike Sillinger, led Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League in goals (24), points (46), points per game (1.48) and shots on goal (113) in 31 games.
Columbus then took Ceulemans, a right-shot defenseman who is committed to the University of Wisconsin for the 2022-23 season, with the No. 25 pick, which they acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the trade for forward Foligno on April 11. Ranked No. 14 among North American skaters, Ceulemans scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in eight games for Brooks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and eight points (one goal, seven assists) in six games for Canada at the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship.
"We're very excited about the picks we got," Kekalainen said. "Kent Johnson is a very talented player and a great playmaker, vision, just very, very skilled and dynamic. Cole Sillinger adds grit and determination, character, scoring ability. A strong guy, very mature as far as how just strong he is right now. And, of course, Ceulemans is a very good defenseman who we project to be a top-four defenseman in the National Hockey League for many, many years. So time will tell, as always."