With the 16th pick the Columbus Blue Jackets select...

.....one of the following 5 players:

JOHN MOORE
NHL Central Scouting’s Jack Barzee
“I watched John Moore as an underage player and I knew he was a must see player for this year; he hasn’t disappointed me one bit. His first two strides are like Paul Coffey and he has been labeled as a world-class skater. He is poised with the puck, he gets his shots through to the net and he has gotten a lot stronger this season. He resembles (Calgary Flames) defenseman Jordan Leopold and similar to Leopold at the same age he needs to get a little bit better at playing more aggressive and more physical, but John is going to be a one-two defenseman in the NHL.”



ZACK KASSIAN
NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards
"Kassian is one of the toughest guys in the OHL and probably the entire draft. Last season as an under-ager there were overage guys in the league who would not take him on. He has not fought much this season (because) he has not had to. He is at his best when he is playing physical and tough along the boards. He protects the puck very well and fights through checks. He has very good play-making and puck-handling abilities."



RYAN ELLIS
NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards
“He's a really smart, heady defenseman. His puck movement is excellent and the way he moves the puck around the zone is excellent. He's a real high-end offensive guy. He's got a great shot and he gets it through to the net. A lot of guys have their shots blocked, but he's got a real knack for getting it through, and that leads to a lot of tip-in and rebound goals. He's a smaller guy, but he's not afraid of taking the body. He shows no fear of getting involved in scrums, he's not intimidated.”



OLIVER EKMAN LARSSON
NHL European Scouting Service
“Oliver likes to play offensively, often carrying the puck into the neutral zone. He has the frame, speed and skill to dominate. He is a smooth skater and can handle the puck at top speed, but needs to use his size to his advantage more. He often quarterbacks the power-play and has a hard shot from the blue line.”

DAVID RUNBLAND
Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb
“He has a very good shot. He is a right-handed shot and he is used on the power play, even in the (Elite) League despite being a young player. He is a very smart player. He could be a little more physical in his game, but that is something that he is learning.”



Also some trade nuggets from Puck-rakers:

The Blue Jackets have had trade talks with at least four clubs, but they've all been draft pick trades.

GM Scott Howson wants to be prepared to move up in the order if the four or five players they've targeted start disappearing from the board. He also wants to have deals in place to move back a couple/few spots if a few of those player remain on the board at No. 16.

So far, Howson said, he's had no discussions regarding players currently on the Blue Jackets' roster.

Whelp you see the five players I'm speculating them to be interested in. Note - I have absolutely no inside information -- just my own personal dot connecting.

1st LTL draft @ 1:00 P.M. EST.

1st NHL draft pick @ 7:00 EST.

See you all at the draft parties!

GO DRAFT(s)!

-LTL