from Rob Mixer of the Blue Jackets website,

The Blue Jackets have options. They are considered one of the more well-equipped teams to make noise this weekend, given that they have a few key items in their arsenal: salary cap space, a surplus of forwards under contract at the NHL level, and multiple picks to work with.

As of Thursday afternoon, GM Jarmo Kekalainen has six of the first 69 picks, including three second-rounders and two third-rounders.

“It seems to always heat up and the frequency of phone calls gets a little higher the closer you get to the draft,” Kekalainen said. “We’re about 24 hours away, a little more than that, and it’s starting to get there. We’ve been up since 7 (a.m.) this morning trying to figure out what we need to do, and how we need to get it done.”

Needless to say, plenty of folks will be watching the Blue Jackets – but don’t count on the GM to give any of his secrets away. Regarding speculation that he’s in discussions with the Arizona Coyotes to move up to No. 3 overall, Kekalainen smiled and politely declined comment.

“We’re working on all kinds of different scenarios,” Kekalainen said, diplomatically. “I’ve talked to every other team ahead of us to see if there’s a chance, what the chance might be, and what it would take. I think we’re in a good situation with what we have. We have a lot of forwards on our reserve list right now, too. It’s an exciting time for us.”

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