Who Is The Best Undrafted Player On The Blue Jackets Roster?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have a few players on the roster who weren't picked in the NHL Draft, but have started to turn themselves into pretty good NHL players. But who's the best undrafted player on the current roster? Who's had the best career so far?

Let's take a look.

Zach Aston-Reese - 79 Games played for Columbus in 24-25 after being claimed off waivers by Columbus from Vegas, October 7, 2024. He scored 6 goals and totaled 17 points, being used primarily as a 3rd and 4th line penalty killer. On Jan. 13, 2025, Aston-Reese was signed to a one-year extension.

Career Stats: 389 games - 97 points.

Jake Christiansen - In his first full NHL season, Christiansen played in 68 games. He scored 1 goal and totaled 8 points being used as a third-pair defenseman. Many experts have said when Christiansen matures and gets some experience, that he's an everyday defenseman in the NHL.

Career Stats: 112 games - 15 points.

Mathieu Olivier - 82 games played for Columbus in 24-25. He was traded to Columbus by Nashville for a 4th-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, June 30, 2022. At the time, a very unassuming trade, but now, this trade made by former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen is paying serious dividends for both Olivier and the CBJ. Olivier set career highs in goals, assists, and points in 24-25, and also had a career-high in PIMs with 139. Olivier has had 32 fights since joining Columbus, and has become THE premier tough guy in the NHL. But last year, he showed that he can score and be a playmaker as well by scoring all those goals. On March 5, 2024, Olivier was signed to a 6-year, $18,000,000 contract with a cap hit of $3,000,000 per season. This contract is an absolute gem by GM Don Waddell.

Career Stats: 250 games - 66 points.

The Best Undrafted Player is: Mathieu Olivier

Why? Olivier has shown that he can do it all at this point. He can score, makes plays, but more importantly, he will ALWAYS protect his teammates. That part of his game alone should've earned him that paycheck.

Olivier is a huge piece of this team and has earned the title of "Best Undrafted Player" on the Blue Jackets!

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