Some teams were happy with how their 2012 NHL Draft went. Some teams were content but wish things could have gone a bit better. Then there’s the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets were so unhappy with how things went at the Draft that they fired four of their scouts hours after the Draft wrapped up.
Rumors have also circulated that the New York Islanders offered Columbus their entire (yes, entire) 2012 Draft in exchange for the team’s #2 overall pick. More on this a bit later.
On the surface, Columbus appeared to have had a decent draft. They took defenseman Ryan Murray with the second overall pick. From there, grading their effort is pretty subjective based on how you feel certain prospects will turn out. We won’t have a true grade for their 2012 Draft until a few years have passed. The team might not have had the best draft but they certainly didn’t have a terrible one.
However, Columbus obviously felt as if they made some mistakes. The news surfaced that just hours after the 2012 Draft the Blue Jackets had fired four of their scouts, one of which was Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting. General Manager Scott Howson indicated that the team would likely replace the fired scouts with at least three new faces.
Aside from the news about the firings, Columbus is now in the hot seat after a rumor came out that indicated that the team turned down a trade offer from the New York Islanders that was essentially Columbus turning over their #2 overall pick in exchange for the Islanders’ entire draft. Obviously, this trade never took place.
Assuming the rumored deal is based in fact, one has to yet again question a decision made by Scott Howson. Howson, recently criticized for his actions in the Rick Nash saga, may have turned his back on what would appear to be an extremely lopsided trade in his team’s favor during the Draft. Was his decision to not act on this speculated trade influenced by the recently fired scouts? We can only guess.
