You gotta go with BPA in my opinion.
If BPA is too close to call, then your first priority should be to take the CENTER. Especially high up in the draft. Elite centers are hard to find anywhere else in the draft but very, very early. And IMO elite centers are the most important part of building an elite team.
Just looking at the scoring stats this season, the top listed centers are:
1. Crosby - 1st overall
2. Tavares - 1st overall
3. Getzlaf - 19th overall
4. Thornton - 1st overall
5. Toews - 3rd overall
6. Backstrom - 4th overall
7. Malkin - 2nd overall
8. Seguin - 2nd overall
9. Giroux - 22nd overall
10. Benn - 129th overall
11. Duchene - 3rd overall
12. Sedin - 3rd overall
13. Kopitar - 11th overall
14. Krejci - 43rd overall
15. Turris - 3rd overall
16. Johansen - 4th overall
17. N-Hopkins - 1st overall
...and not far behind are the likes of Couture (9th overall), E. Staal (2nd overall) and M. Koivu (6th overall).
2/17 on that list taken outside of the first round
12/17 taken in the top 5 of their drafts.
Now for a look at the top scoring defensemen this year:
1. Karlsson - 15th overall
2. Keith - 54th overall
3. Byfuglien - 245th overall
4. Subban - 43rd overall
5. Weber - 49th overall
6. Pietrangelo - 4th overall
7. Seabrook - 14th overall
8. Shattenkirk - 14th overall
9. Yandle - 105th overall
10. Suter - 7th overall
11. Kronwall - 29th overall
12. Bouwmeester - 3rd overall
13. Fowler - 12th overall
14. Wisniewski - 156th overall
15. Hedman - 2nd overall
16. McDonagh - 12th overall
17. E-Larsson - 6th overall
18. Garrison - UNDRAFTED
19. Zidlicky - 176th overall
20. Doughty - 2nd overall
8/20 taken out side the first round, including one who was never even drafted
4/20 taken in the top 5 of their draft
I like Ekblad. Big, talented, etc, etc.
But IMO, we should be picking centers with our high picks until we have so many of them becoming elite NHLers that they are spilling onto our wings.
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