They’re worse than my Blue Jackets! From the Columbus Dispatch:
How highly did the Blue Jackets value defenseman Ryan Murray before taking him with the No. 2 overall pick in Friday’s first round of the NHL Draft? Enough to turn down an eye-opening offer from the New York Islanders, who, according to numerous NHL sources, offered all of their picks — one in each round — for the right to move up from No. 4 to No. 2 for Murray. That’s right, for the Jackets’ No. 2 pick, the Islanders offered pick Nos. 4, 34, 65, 103, 125, 155 and 185. The bounty would have given the Jackets the following picks: 4, 31, 34, 62, 65, 95, 103, 125, 152, 155, 182 and 185.
Here’s another, more blunt perspective, from The Score:
I don’t know if Scott Howson did the right thing there here by turning that offer down (quality over quantity, sure, but the draft is a crapshoot, a rebuilding team should probably have taken the chance to have more irons in the fire), but I do know this: being an Isles fan is fucking terrifying.
Here’s what I think happened: the Isles pride themselves on their mad-as-hatters shenanigans, and they got jealous that the Blue Jackets were starting to look like the more screwed up franchise. Well, this trade offer probably fixes that perception.
(Then again, Columbus was pretty damn stupid for not taking it. Fourth overall was a good pick in this draft. maybe they still have a shot at the looniest team crown.)
And some fun trivia: the Columbus Blue Jackets are my favourite NHL team. Guess what team Planet S editor Chris Kirkland roots for?
Yup. The Islanders.
