Jackets Make First Round of Cuts

A hat tip to Aaron Portzline, who has released the Blue Jackets first round of cuts this afternoon.

Michel Chaput, Lukas Sedlak, Boone Jenner, Dalton Smith, Mathieu Corbeil, Brandon Archibald, Austin Madaisky, Mike Thomas and Wade MacLeod have all been cut, nearly all of them designated for assignment back to their Junior clubs.

The two exceptions are Mike Thomas and Wade MacLeod, who have been invited to the Springfield Falcons training camp when it opens on Sunday.

The list isn't really filled with surprises - the Canadian major junior season is already starting up, so the team will want to get their prospects back to play in game action as soon as possible. If there's a bit of an eyebrow raiser, it's that unsigned invitee Adam Payerl is still in camp, along with last year's camp surprise, Oliver Gabriel. Both could have been released / reassigned today, but seem to be sticking in the mix for now.

Some will be surprised about Jenner being sent down so quickly, but remember that A) He will benefit from more seasoning, B) His chances of making the squad were almost nil, C) Jenner will be Oshawa's captain this year, and the Generals need him on the ice as a leader more than Columbus needs him in the press box for the next few weeks. He had a great rookie tournament and pre-season for his first pro camp, and I have no doubt that members of the front office have noticed, but there's no reason to push him when we've developed an expansive depth down the middle this year.