Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell: ‘We’re open’ to trading No. 4 draft pick

The new boss in Ohio is prepared to be aggressive heading into the NHL Draft.

During his pre-draft media availability on Thursday, Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell admitted that he would be willing to hear offers for their fourth-overall pick.

“We’re open [to moving the pick],” Waddell said. “If we keep the pick, we’ll get a great player, and if we trade the pick, it’s going to have to be a great deal for us.”

The Blue Jackets are set to be picking in the top five for the third time in the last four years, with the team having had a spot in the top 10 in the draft every since 2021. Columbus “earned” their spot by finishing with a 27-43-12 record this past season, ending up at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with the fourth-worst record in the NHL.

Waddell was hired by the Blue Jackets last month and was also named an alternate governor of the franchise that has not been to the postseason in four years. He spent the previous 10 years with the Carolina Hurricanes as president, six of which saw him take on the role of GM.

It was clear Columbus wanted someone with experience and someone capable of turning around the struggling team. Waddell quickly took a meddling Hurricanes team to the conference finals in 2019 and 2023. The Detroit native’s willingness to hear offers for such a high draft pick shows he is interested in helping the Blue Jackets become a postseason threat as quickly as possible.

If the Blue Jackets end up hanging on to the pick, there are a number of quality prospects for Waddell to choose from. Michigan State defensemen Artyom Levshunov and London Knights’ blueliner Sam Dickinson are high on a lot of people’s draft boards, as well as talented scorers like Cayden Lindstrom of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and Tij Iginla from the Kelowna Rockets.

Last year, with the third-overall pick, the Blue Jackets selected Adam Fantilli out of the University of Michigan.

The first round of the 2024 NHL Draft from the Sphere in Las Vegas is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, June 28.