from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he would take the best player available, regardless of position. Then, he turned his back on the best player available and everyone at First Niagara Center knew it. The media on the risers raised their eyebrows and a vocal crowd keened.

What was this man doing?

Kekalainen was in discussions all afternoon with his counterpart from Calgary. If he wanted to move Sergei Bobrovsky’s fat contract and gain some cap relief, Calgary was a good partner. If he wanted to trade down in the process, Calgary was a good partner, and so was Edmonton.

There was a deal to be done. Toronto was not trading out of the No. 1 hole; the Leafs wanted Auston Matthews. Winnipeg was not trading out of the No. 2 hole; the Jets wanted Patrik Laine. That left Kekalainen with the prime trading asset in the draft, the No. 3 pick. He talked all afternoon. He did nothing.

The Finnish GM sent his Finnish scout to the microphone to announce that the Blue Jackets had selected Pierre-Luc Dubois of Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Say what?

Where was the other Finn?

Nothing against Dubois, who won the QMJHL’s Best Professional Prospect award. He is a versatile center who fills an area of need. He might be a terrific player in a year or two or three. The point is this: Every scout in the world rated three players at this draft as NHL-ready. The third was Jesse Puljujarvi. After him, there was a cliff.

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