With his comments yesterday, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen did little to dissuade the speculation that he might actually -- no, really, he might -- trade the third overall pick in Friday’s draft.
“We’re getting some serious and real offers right now,” Kekalainen said, per the Columbus Dispatch. “We’re making sure we have them all lined up so that we can compare them and see what the best one is and whether it’s worth consideration.”
According to most rankings, the third-best player in the 2016 draft is Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi.
But the Blue Jackets have compiled their own list, and for them, that’s the only list that counts.
“Whether it’s close to the consensus of the experts or not, that’s what we’re going to rely on and how we’re going to do our business,” said Kekalainen. “We feel it’s the only right way to do business.”
If the Blue Jackets do end up trading the third overall pick, they could move down a few spots and select a center like Logan Brown or Clayton Keller.
Related: After trading Ryan Johansen, do the Jackets have a number-one center?