by Aaron Portzline, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH , The Columbus Dispatch

Since the NHL places the draft tables for its 30 clubs in worst-to-first order, snaking in five rows of six tables each away from the dais, the previously sad-sack Blue Jackets always had a spot in one of the first two rows.

That won't be the case Friday in Montreal's Bell Centre, however.

"I'm glad to say our seats won't be nearly as good this year," said Don Boyd, Blue Jackets director of Hockey operations and its draft guru. "That's a sign of progress, right?"

The Blue Jackets have never picked later than the No. 8 overall selection since they joined the NHL for the 2000-01 season. That's one No. 1 pick, two No. 4s, three No. 6s, one No. 7 and two No. 8s.

But this season, after the franchise's first winning record and first spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Blue Jackets hold the No. 16 overall pick, putting them three rows back in the middle of the action.

"When you pick in the top 10, you have three or four guys you target," Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson said. "You can be reasonably sure one of those three or four will be there.

"When you're holding the No. 16 pick, it's pretty wide-open. You're focusing on eight or nine players and hoping one of them makes it to you."

Howson said the Blue Jackets will consider trying to move up "slightly" in the draft order, although he hasn't had any discussions with other teams. That could begin today, when most clubs arrive in Montreal.

The Blue Jackets , with center Derick Brassard returning from injury, and rookie Nikita Filatov expected to be a full-time NHLer in 2009-10, have a glut of forwards and they'd likely consider moving one, especially a winger.

They do not have a second-round draft pick that might be used to move up in the order, however. That pick was traded to Ottawa in the deal to acquire center Antoine Vermette.

It is highly unlikely, Howson said, that the Blue Jackets will trade the pick or move down in the first round.

"The good news is, it's a deep draft, so we're going to get a good player," Howson said.

Most believe this year's draft is good, but not nearly as good as last year.

Six of last summer's top nine picks were NHL regulars this year, and two others -- including Filatov with the Blue Jackets -- saw spot duty.

This year's draft has three "elite" players, according to NHL scouts. Centers John Tavares and Matt Duchene, and defenseman Victor Hedman, will go in the top three picks, but it's anybody's guess which order. The New York Islanders have the No. 1 overall pick, followed by Tampa Bay and Colorado.

The next "tier" of players, scouts say, runs from No. 4 through No. 10. After that, it gets murky.

The Blue Jackets interviewed more than 90 players at the NHL draft combine in Toronto three weeks ago. They also had eight players travel to Columbus for interviews and fitness testing.

It could be a good year for the Blue Jackets to draft a defenseman first, something they haven't done since selecting Rostislav Klesla in 2000. One NHL scout predicted that of the top 16 players, a whopping seven are probably blue-liners.

aportzline@dispatch.com

Box Story: 2000

\ CALGARY

NO. 4 PICK

D Rostislav Klesla \

2001

\ SUNRISE, FLA.

NO. 8 PICK

G Pascal Leclaire \

2002

\ TORONTO

NO. 1 PICK

LW Rick Nash \

2003

\ NASHVILLE

NO. 4 PICK

RW Nikolai Zherdev \

2004

\ RALEIGH

NO. 8 PICK

LW Alexandre Picard \

2005

\ OTTAWA

NO. 6 PICK

C Gilbert Brule \

2006

\ VANCOUVER

NO. 6 PICK

C Derick Brassard \

2007

\ COLUMBUS

NO. 7 PICK

RW Jake Voracek \

2008

\ OTTAWA

NO. 6 PICK

C Nikita Filatov

Note: Traded the No. 19 pick of the 2008 draft to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward R.J. Umberger\

* * * * \ \

2009 NHL Draft \

AT THE BELL CENTRE

First round: 7 p.m. Friday (TV: Versus)

Rounds 2-7: 10 a.m. Saturday

\ \

FIRST-ROUND ORDER

1. New York Islanders

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

3. Colorado Avalanche

4. Atlanta Thrashers

5. Los Angeles Kings

6. Phoenix Coyotes

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

8. Dallas Stars

9. Ottawa Senators

10. Edmonton Oilers

11. Nashville Predators

12. Minnesota Wild

13. Buffalo Sabres

14. Florida Panthers

15. Anaheim Ducks

16. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

17. St. Louis Blues

18. Montreal Canadiens

19. New York Rangers

20. Calgary Flames

21. Philadelphia Flyers

22. Vancouver Canucks

23. New Jersey Devils

24. Washington Capitals

25. Boston Bruins

26. New York Islanders

27. Carolina Hurricanes

28. Chicago Blackhawks

29. Detroit Red Wings

30. Pittsburgh Penguins \ \

\ OTHER BLUE JACKETS PICKS

THIRD ROUND

Pick: 16 / Overall: 77

FOURTH ROUND

Pick: 3 / Overall: 94

FIFTH ROUND

Pick: 16 / Overall: 136

SIXTH ROUND

Pick: 16 / Overall: 166

SEVENTH ROUND

Pick: 16 / Overall: 196

Note: Traded second-round pick to Ottawa Senators for forward Antoine Vermette on March 4

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