2:37 p.m. ET:The Blue Jackets have finally made a move at the NHL Draft -- trading down out of the third round for more picks later in the draft.
The club has sent its No. 81 overall pick to Florida in exchange for a pair of fourth rounders -- Nos. 104 and 114 overall.
It gives the team the chance to add more than just two players in this draft, though it costs the team its highest remaining pick.
Come the fourth round, we'll see what the Blue Jackets are able to do with a pair of choices. Considering research has shown there's little difference in the value of draft picks as you move lower in the selection process, there is something to be said for more rolls of the dice later the draft.
2:10 p.m. ET: The second round of the draft has concluded and the Blue Jackets did not move up into it, so two rounds and 62 picks have come and gone without a Columbus pick.
The good news is the Union Blue is now represented on the big board as it flips over to the third round. Columbus is slotted to pick 81st overall.
12:52 p.m. ET:Even before the draft begins, things have gotten interesting in the Metropolitan Division in which the Blue Jackets reside.
First, the Carolina Hurricanes made a deal with Toronto to acquire veteran forward Patrick Marleau as well as a 2020 or '21 first-round pick. There have been reports the Canes plan to buy out Marleau, but GM Don Waddell told reporters that his team will talk to the 39-year-old, who has played in 21 NHL seasons and has a 551-615-1,166 line in 1,657 career games.
In addition, the New Jersey Devils -- one day after taking record-setting U.S. forward Jack Hughes at No. 1 overall -- made a splash Saturday with a deal that netted the team PK Subban in exchange for Steven Santini, Jeremy Davies and two second-round picks. The recognizable defenseman saw his production fall last year -- he went from 16 goals and 59 points in 2017-18 to nine and 31, respectively, last year -- but remains a star in the NHL.
With that, the second round is set to get under way shortly. In a few short hours, the Blue Jackets will have some new players in the organization either through draft picks or trades. Let the fun begin.
11:58 a.m. ET:Day two of the 2019 NHL draft is here, and after general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and his staff merely had a front-row seat during Friday's first round, the Blue Jackets will make some picks in rounds two through seven Saturday.
As the day begins, Columbus has just two picks -- No. 81 overall in round three and No. 212 overall in round seven -- but Kekalainen has spoken over the past month about trying to acquire more picks as he looks to add more prospects to the team's system.
Picks begin at 1 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. out here in lovely Cascadia), so stay tuned throughout the day right here to see what happens.
