10 players the Blue Jackets should consider at fourth overall

If I were the general manager of the Blue Jackets, Zeev Buium would be at the very top of my list in this draft. Personally, I believe he is the best all-around defender in the entire class. I’d take him as high as second overall, given the need.

There’s just one problem here: Do the Blue Jackets really need him? Buium is a tremendous skater, who is just as effective on defense as he is on offense. He just won a national championship with Denver, and to me he looks like a top 4 NHL defenseman for 15 years.

I don’t see him having the offensive upside of Parekh, nor the size and defensive acumen of Silayev…but he’s only a slight notch below the two on both sides of the puck. Buium will never be elite in any area, but he is a Ryan McDonagh type defender who will be relied on heavily in all situations. He will be a crucial and unheralded element of many winning teams.

Why they should take it: He could be a great top-four defender for a long time.

Why they should avoid it: It’s tight between him and the other top-ranked defender in this class, but he shoots left-handed. The Jackets are in good shape on their future left side, so the other guy might make more sense for them.