There were really only two things that people expected the Columbus Blue Jackets to do on Friday with their second overall pick in the NHL Draft. There was a lot of speculation that the pick would be traded, but most people expected them to select either defenseman Ryan Murray or forward Nail Yakupov, depending which one fell to them after Edmonton's first selection.
Murray ended up falling to them and they apparently couldn't find a trade partner, so the big defenseman ended up being the cornerstone of Columbus' draft. SB Nation's 2012 NHL Draft Grades give the Jackets high marks for that pick, but question the lack of ability by Columbus to deal Rick Nash for anything of substance on draft day:
Columbus Blue Jackets: Though GM Scott Howson made a solid selection in Ryan Murray, the lack of action on a Rick Nash trade is likely to haunt him through the draft and into July 1. Addressing their need for a goaltender by trading for Sergei Bobrovsky, his next target is expected to be additional scoring depth. B-
No matter what they did on draft day, the Jackets were going to be left lacking a bit. They're a team in need of a lot of pieces and it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a very, very busy off season in Columbus.
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