Youtube clips will focus on goals but Barkov is a playmaker, despite the fact that he was 10th in the league in goals. The reason he's great is because he plays well all over the ice (6th in league in +/-) on top of being a top scorer at 17.
Intelligence is a tough thing to sell if you haven't watched him play. He's a safe pick because the way he plays the game is applicable in any league. He doesn't rely on tricks - he's just in the right place and he gets the puck to where it needs to go.
What you can see from his goals is that he knows where to put the puck when he gets the chance. A grinder goal is shoveling the puck towards the goalie and hoping for the best. Barkov has his head up. In shootouts, he never takes his eyes off the goalie.
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