The NHL Draft is coming June 28-29 in Las Vegas. The first pick is pretty certain, but nobody really knows what will happen after that. That is especially true for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the fourth pick in the first round, which is of interest for Ohio sports betting.
The Blue Jackets posted a 27-43-12 record in the 2023-24 season, the worst in the Eastern Conference and fourth-worst overall. With a record like that, there’s not just one thing the team needs to make them a contender for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So, the question becomes, where do you start?
Round | Pick # |
1 | 4 |
3 | 69, 86 |
4 | 101 |
5 | 133 |
6 | 165 |
Only the San Jose Sharks (326) gave up more goals than the Blue Jackets, who allowed 298. And only the Philadelphia Flyers (12.2%) had a more anemic power play unit than the 15.1% conversion rate Columbus produced. Ohio’s only NHL team had just two 20-goal scorers, and Johnny Gaudreau’s team-best 60 points (12 goals, 48 assists) finished in a six-way tie for 88th among all NHL players. Defenseman Zach Werenski led the team in plus-minus with zero. In other words, this team did not reward backers at Ohio sports betting apps very often.
That means there’s a lot of different ways the Blue Jackets could go when the clock starts for them at The Sphere on June 28.
Player | Odds | Percent Chance |
Medicine Hat (WHL) F Cayden Lindstrom | +275 | 26.7% |
U. of Denver LD Zeev Buium | +400 | 20.0% |
Michigan State RD Artyom Levshunov | +600 | 14.3% |
London (OHL) LD Sam Dickinson | +800 | 11.1% |
St. Petersburg (Russia) W Ivan Demidov | +800 | 11.1% |
Kelowna (WHL) F Tij Iginla | +1250 | 7.4% |
The Field | +1000 | 9.1% |
*as of May 28, 2024
On May 28, the Blue Jackets announced that they named Don Waddell as their general manager, president of hockey operations and alternate governor. Waddell spent the past 10 seasons with Carolina and helped build the Hurricanes into a perennial playoff team as their team president and GM.
A lot will be determined for Columbus depending on who Chicago and Anaheim take with the second and third picks in the first round. Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini is the consensus choice for the top pick by the San Jose Sharks. If Cayden Lindstrom (27 goals in 32 games for WHL Medicine Hat this season) and Ivan Demidov (who has top-line talents, scouts say) then the Blue Jackets could have their pick of defensemen. Artyom Levshunov would be the ideal selection, as Columbus could potentially pair the 6-foot-9 Michigan State blue liner with either Zach Werenski or Ivan Provorov.
Lindstrom or Demidov would definitely help boost the Blue Jackets’ top six, but another potential selection could be Tij Iginla, who posted 47 goals and 84 points in 64 WHL games for Kelowna. The son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla has been rising in the rankings and is expected to be among the top forwards selected this year.
Caesars Ohio Sportsbook already has odds on the 2024-25 NHL season; the Blue Jackets have +20000 odds to win their first Stanley Cup.
Year | Player | Career Point Shares |
2023 – No. 3 | Adam Fantilli | 1.7 |
2022 – No. 6 | David Jiricek | 1.0 |
2022 – No. 12 | Denton Mateychuk | 0.0 |
2021 – No. 5 | Kent Johnson | 4.3 |
2021 – No. 12 | Cole Sillinger | 3.2 |
2021 – No. 25 | Corson Ceulemans | 0.0 |
Four of the six most recent first-round draft picks played at least 43 games for Columbus this past season, with Cole Sillinger scoring 32 points and posting a minus-4 in 77 games. He just turned 21 and is likely to be the third-line center starting next season.
Two recent first-round picks by the Blue Jackets have yet to make it to Columbus. Denton Mateychuk (2022 draft) played this past season in the WHL. Corson Ceulemans is playing his first full professional season with Columbus’ AHL affiliate, Cleveland, which has reached the Eastern Conference final in the Calder Cup playoffs.
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USA Today photo by David Kirouac
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
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