![\"Don](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Don-Waddell-1200x960.jpg\")
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell says the 14th pick is available but only for the right things. (Photo credit: Mark Scheig, the Hockey Writers)<\/p>\nDon Waddell is no stranger to long days and nights. That is commonplace in the month of June when he and his staff spend the month getting ready for the bulk of the offseason. <\/p>\n
With just nine days left until the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, the Blue Jackets still have a lot of business they need to take care of. Not only are they finalizing their master list for the draft itself, they have several contracts they need to make decisions on. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s not all. The Blue Jackets will be looking for some external help in certain areas of their team. Then after the dust of the draft settles down, they have development camp and the start of free agency to deal with.<\/p>\n
Waddell spoke to the Hockey Writers on Tuesday for about 20 minutes to discuss the upcoming draft and give some updates on where things stand in their offseason. The first part of our talk will focus on the draft while part two looks at where things stand on the offseason.<\/p>\n
As always, this conversation was cleaned up for clarity and flow. <\/p>\n
The 2026 NHL Draft<\/p>\n
THW: Don, thanks as always for doing this. For the second year in a row, you have the 14th pick of the draft. You were recently in Buffalo at the Combine. What things were you able to take away from meeting the prospects there and then what are you prioritizing if you decide to ultimately keep the 14th pick?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cThe big thing is, I got tied up with a lot of agents. I had a lot of meetings, but I sat in, let\u2019s say the player 9-20, I sat in those interviews. We had them scheduled to where I could make sure I made it for them. The players today, they\u2019re so much more into training and doing the right things. Some big players for sure. Some real strong guys. I haven\u2019t looked at all the testing results because I haven\u2019t had a chance yet. They\u2019re more polished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we keep our pick, we\u2019ll got a good player there. When you\u2019re picking 14th, you don\u2019t know who\u2019s going to go (where.) They tell you who\u2019s going to go the first five or six but then it\u2019s pretty wide open. Most of those players at that point aren\u2019t ready to come turn pro yet either.\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: You have already expressed an openness to trading the 14th pick if the right situation comes up. What would make a trade compelling enough for you in that situation? Where is the balance for you when deciding if a player is good enough to give up that pick?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cI think first of all, it\u2019s an age thing. I\u2019m not going to trade for an older player. If it\u2019s a younger player that\u2019s got either a longer contract or we have rights for a number of years, that\u2019s something we would look at for sure. But in saying that, it\u2019s a good pick. There is a high value on that pick. Guys that I have talked to that are trying to move up in the draft, I know it\u2019s a good value pick. I took Jarvis at 13, which he worked out pretty well for Carolina. And he came in right away. We brought him into training camp. No expectation of him staying and he proved himself that he\u2019s ready to play in the NHL. Sometimes you never know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got to be a little but careful about a trade just saying you\u2019re going to trade the pick. I\u2019ll trade the pick, but it\u2019s got to be for the right things.\u201d <\/p>\n
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell says the 14th pick is available but only for the right things. (Photo credit: Mark Scheig, the Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n
THW: Would you consider moving up if the right opportunity came about?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cYeah, we always talk about that. Looks like though you\u2019d have to move past nine. The player we have at nine or 10, we might get at 14. It\u2019s like that every year. Everybody\u2019s got different feelings and different needs. Everybody scouts differently so you just never know.\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: Does the status of your prospects, whether in college, the CHL or in the AHL, affect the way you\u2019ll handle the draft? Are there some guys you feel are ready to make the jump to the NHL as soon as next season?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cNot really. Probably our number-one guy is Jackson Smith right now. I think him going back to school this year, I won\u2019t be surprised after school if he\u2019s ready to jump into the NHL. Watching a lot this year, he\u2019s close. He could probably play this year, but going back to school is probably a good thing for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then, we also got some kids in Cleveland that had great playoffs and a great season so we certainly have to give a look at. Last year, our roster was pretty full. This year, we\u2019re trying to keep a spot or two where these guys can compete for it. I don\u2019t know if it really changes your draft knowing that a guy is probably a few years away. I think we\u2019re pretty open-minded. I\u2019m not going to say just the best player because if we had a left-shot defenseman and a right-shot winger, because we know we\u2019re pretty good on the left side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Offseason Agenda<\/p>\n
THW: It\u2019s your third full season here now. You have a better idea of what you have. You kept guys together trying for the playoffs. Now that you know what you have, are you more willing to make some bigger moves? And just how much of a gap is there in your mind between where you feel the Blue Jackets are at and becoming an annual playoff contender?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cI think first, let\u2019s take Kent Johnson. He had 24 goals two years ago. He did start slow last year and never really got it going. It\u2019s one thing to hope a guy could score 20 goals, but it\u2019s another thing when a guy has already done it. You know he\u2019s capable of it. Guys like him, Dmitri Voronkov, we got to get them on track right off the start of the year. If we do that, that\u2019s going to really help us. But you need that balance with those young kids and some of the veterans here to show them the way too. I thought Fantilli got better as the season went on and finished very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of these young kids, the experience they got in the last three years, we need them to continue to grow. We signed Charlie Coyle, who we thought was such a big part of our team last year. Right-shot center and plays every game. But after that, you want to be careful with these long-term contracts because Fantilli\u2019s going to get a big raise this year. Then you got Marchenko coming up. You got Voronkov, Johnson, Mateychuk. All these guys are going to need new contracts. Cap space goes quickly. Might be $104 million, but right now going to be $101 million, something like that, if I sign a $5 million guy along with Jet (Greaves) getting a big raise. It\u2019s interesting. You see the cap\u2019s going up but it goes quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: You probably get calls on them. Do you see Johnson and Voronkov still as part of the future in Columbus?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cYeah, for sure. I get calls and like I say, everybody\u2019s willing to talk about anybody. But that said, both those guys are going to play in our top-six so I\u2019m not trading them for draft picks or prospects. If something comes along, and not just those guys, but any guy, if you feel like you\u2019re making your team better, that\u2019s the deals that you got to look at.\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: You mentioned Coyle already. You also said you\u2019d lean to a right-shot winger over a left-handed defenseman if having to make that choice. Is it fair to say that a top-six or nine winger is something you\u2019d try to prioritize this offseason? Just how important is that position for your team to fill?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cIf there\u2019s a top-nine guy that fits into what we\u2019re trying to do here, 100%. My sense is with these free agents that it\u2019s not a huge crop that they\u2019re all going to get too much term and too much money. But we\u2019ll find that out in the next (little while.)\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: When it comes to roster construction, what is the balance for you between keeping your own UFAs and RFAs since you know them versus looking for external help? <\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cI think it\u2019s something we\u2019ve talked a lot about here. It\u2019s a balancing act because you just want to be careful of the older guys and how much term they get. You got Provorov that\u2019s locked up for a while. Monahan for another three years, Coyle and Garland, the age factor is something we\u2019re looking at to make sure we don\u2019t put ourselves in a spot that three or four years from now, you can\u2019t get rid of the guys and you need the cap space. Ownership is willing to spend the money. You just have to spend it wisely.\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: So now your free agents. I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a lot you still don\u2019t know. We\u2019ll frame the question this way. Do you still want all three of Boone Jenner, Mason Marchment and Erik Gudbranson back? Then how confident are you that all three of them could come back if you\u2019re able to?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cWe\u2019re still talking to all of them. Last year, we signed Provorov and Fabbro, I think the night before free agency. I never want to say never. They\u2019ll know what the market is and if we get the right term and the dollars make sense, I don\u2019t mind bringing them all back. But I don\u2019t see that happening right now. I just think some guys are going to get more term than what we want to give them and we\u2019ll deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: In my mind, Jenner could get term. Marchment could get term. Those are the two I wonder if that\u2019s what you mean when you say they might get more term and that\u2019s something you have to talk through. Especially with Jenner, someone who\u2019s been with the Blue Jackets his whole career. This could still go either way, right?<\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cIf he gets the term he wants, I\u2019m happy for him. I\u2019m really happy for him because he deserves it. Players have that right to test the market. He hasn\u2019t tested it before so if he decides to test it, then I\u2019m happy for him if he gets what he\u2019s looking for. Same with Marchment.\u201d<\/p>\n
THW: Has Jenner told you directly he\u2019s going to test the market? <\/p>\n
Waddell: \u201cNo, not yet. No. I\u2019ve talked to the agent but no.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Boone](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Boone-Jenner-Blue-Jackets-2-1200x800.jpg\")
Waddell hasn\u2019t ruled out a Boone Jenner return but did admit he doesn\u2019t think all their UFAs will be back. (Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
THW: Fantilli, Greaves, Sillinger, those are your big RFAs<\/a>. They\u2019re maybe not as much of a priority as they\u2019ll get done in due time. Do you have any kind of update or timeline on them?<\/p>\n Waddell: \u201cFantilli I think is waiting to see what happens with Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier. Nobody wants to go first. Instead of spinning my wheels, I\u2019m focused on other things. They\u2019ll get signed eventually for sure. There\u2019s no doubt about that but it just doesn\u2019t seem to be a high priority right now from their side so we\u2019re going to continue to do our business, the things that have to be done now. Number one right now is the draft. We\u2019ll keep working on that. In the meantime, take the calls and make the calls I need to make.\u201d<\/p>\n THW: The goalie situation. Ivan Fedotov is probably not going to be back\u2026<\/p>\n Waddell: \u201cHe\u2019s not coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n THW: You still have Elvis Merzlikins. I don\u2019t think you\u2019re considering buyouts. Do you expect Merzlikins to be with your team next season and then do you have a need for another goalie with Fedotov not returning?<\/p>\n Waddell: \u201cYeah, we do have a need for a third goalie for sure. We\u2019re spending a lot of time on that right now seeing what\u2019s out there and seeing potentially might be through a trade. We want to make sure we go in here with three guys that are capable of playing that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n THW: The Dylan Larkin trade request. I know as managers, you want to keep that stuff behind closed doors as much as possible. When that came out, did it surprise you? Is this a trend you could start to see more of moving forward? <\/p>\n Waddell: \u201cWell, it\u2019s the NBA model, you know? Players ask to be traded. They got other guys on other teams that recruit them and they ask to be traded. So I\u2019m hoping we don\u2019t become the NBA model but certainly that was a little surprise for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n