It was 2012, at the NHL Draft in Pittsburgh, and the Columbus Blue Jackets were closing in on their fourth-round pick. They had already grabbed a defenseman in Ryan Murray, hoping he would anchor their defense for years. They settled an internal debate surrounding goalies Oscar Dansk and Joonas Korpisalo by selecting both of them.



In round four, the conversation shifted towards help up front. The Blue Jackets zeroed in on two forwards – Josh Anderson and Kevin Roy.



Roy was on the small side, just 5-foot-10. But he oozed offense. Playing in the USHL for the Lincoln Stars, he put up 54 goals in 59 games. Ridiculous production for that league.



Anderson wasn’t as productive. He was seeing primarily fourth-line minutes in London. He didn’t play a ton in the Memorial Cup. But Tyler Wright, who helped run the draft in Columbus at the time, really liked Anderson. He went to bat for him.



Wright, now the Red Wings’ director of amateur...