Guillaume Richard’s rise through the Blue Jackets’ system has been steady, and now it’s starting to look like a real path to the NHL. The former 101st overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has climbed all the way to No. 7 on Union and Blue’s summer 2026 top prospects list, up from No. 15 a year ago, and he could be in the mix for an NHL debut in 2026-27.
That jump comes after a strong season in Cleveland. Richard stepped into the top-pairing left-side role vacated when Jake Christiansen earned a permanent NHL call-up, then held the job after Cole "Cowboy" Clayton moved on following 2024-25.
In 2025-26, Richard handled the assignment well, finishing with 7-11-18 in 70 games, a Monsters-best +20 rating, and 20 penalty minutes. Among AHL defensemen, he finished in the top 20 in plus/minus and ranked third among rookies.
The offensive totals are modest, and that’s not really the point with Richard. His game has always been built more on structure, awareness, and defensive reliability than on producing points.
At the University of Providence, where he spent four years as a senior, his career high was 18 points in a season. In Cleveland, he showed the kind of traits that translate: smart puck movement, strong gap control, and a willingness to handle penalty-kill work.
The scouting view is pretty clear. His pros are listed as being “Extremely intelligent with the puck, superb gap control, proactive approach to defending rush chances.” The drawbacks are just as direct: “Lack of standout offensive skills, not as physical as he could be, struggles against a strong forecheck.”
That profile points to a middle-pairing shutdown left defenseman, not a power-play quarterback or a player expected to pile up assists. He’s more of a stabilizer, someone who can retrieve pucks, box out on the rush, and settle things down when the play gets messy. The comparisons that come to mind are Jonas Siegenthaler and prime David Savard, or maybe a better version of Andrew Peeke if everything breaks right.
Richard’s style is cerebral rather than flashy. He reads the game well in his own zone, slows things down, and usually makes the simple, correct play.
He doesn’t bring the kind of physical edge his size might suggest, leaning more on stick work and positioning than heavy contact. Even so, his calm presence and defensive habits make him a player worth watching closely.
The projection here is straightforward: middle pairing shutdown LHD. And with the Blue Jackets looking for a defensive-first presence on the bottom pair, Richard may be ready to give them exactly that.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Just Made Their Decision On Cole Sillinger
Cole Sillingers next chapter in Columbus is settled, giving the Blue Jackets another piece of their forward group locked in for the long haul. The restricted free agent has agreed to a three-year contract after spending his entire NHL career with the club since being taken 12th overall in 2021, a move that keeps one of the organizations younger regulars in place as the roster continues to take shape.
For Columbus, the decision also clarifies where Sillinger fits in the lineup. He is expected to remain in a third-line role, giving the Blue Jackets a dependable middle-six option they can continue to develop without having to revisit his status again anytime soon. The deal carries him through the 2028-29 season, so the next question is less about whether he stays and more about how much his game can grow in the role the team has mapped out for him. [Read more 🡒]
Don Waddell Just Changed The Blue Jackets' Biggest Contract Question
The Blue Jackets have quietly taken a big chunk of business off the board by locking up Jet Greaves and Cole Sillinger on separate three-year deals, and the timing matters as much as the contracts themselves. For a team trying to keep its books clean, Don Waddell has managed to avoid the kind of rushed, cap-clogging move that can haunt a roster later, and these two signings give Columbus a much clearer path as it starts sorting out its next wave of core players.
Adam Fantilli is the name that now hangs over the rest of the summer, and the structure of these deals suggests the Blue Jackets are preserving room for a major extension without boxing themselves in. Greaves contract took some late work to get across the finish line, which only adds to the sense that Columbus was willing to be patient rather than force the issue, and that approach could end up defining how the front office handles its most important negotiation next. [Read more 🡒]
The Cam Atkinson Trade Still Hits Blue Jackets Fans Hard
The Cam Atkinson trade still lands with a thud in Columbus, even years later, because it marked the end of one of the most recognizable stretches of the franchises modern era. On July 24, 2021, Atkinson was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jake Vorek, a move that sent a longtime Blue Jackets face out the door and brought back a player with his own well-established track record.
Voreks stay in Columbus ended up being brief, and the aftershocks of the deal never really faded for fans who had spent years associating Atkinson with the teams identity. Atkinson eventually came back to close the loop in October 2025, signing a one-day contract so he could retire as a Blue Jacket, a final touch that only underscored how much that trade had altered the emotional shape of the roster and the fan base. [Read more 🡒]