I think Bennett would still get taken at the 4th spot. It all just comes down to Buffalo. Murray's love-affair of Reinhart was the worst kept secret. I am not sure that Bennett with a healthy shoulder could have done THAT much more to make Murray look away from Reinhart. Sure, if Bennett was able to pot another 30-50pts! It didn't hurt that Reinhart was more in the line of a Monahan - very cerebral, known for his playmaking, way above average defensively, very mature and a leader. Reinhart ticked off all the boxes on Murray's checklist from all the snippets I caught (I was really high on Reinhart and was hoping Buffalo would pass on him).
Edmonton will be Edmonton, and they drafted for need. It may have only been an inch, but Draisaitl did have a much bigger frame and was heavier. They fell in love with his big ass, really. They were a team that finally realized their top 6 was way too small to compete in the western conference (though the Flames seem to be doing ok!), and were prepared to take a lesser prospect to compensate.
Before the draft, I am pretty sure I had Draisaitl right below Dal Colle and Nylander (maybe even Ritchie - I wasn't a huge fan of Ritchie, but remember being in so many discussions about him lol) so I am not trying to talk-down Draisaitl simply because he is Oilers' property now. I think he is a heck of a prospect, and I do think that the top of the 2014 draft was underrated, but I just think Draisaitl was just ranked too high because of his downside - slow speed, and slows down when handling the puck. Reinhart may only be a bit faster of a skater, but he handles the puck extremely well and makes fantastic moves and plays at his full speed. Draisaitl doesn't, and I kept wondering if in the NHL when being challenged with less time and space, if Draisaitl would experience more problems.
I do think the draft would have gone down the exact same way from 1-5.
Florida - needed a defencemen, and on many lists Ekblad was #1.
Buffalo - needed their future captain/first line center/Tim Murray was in love anyways - Reinhart
Edmonton - needed an injection of size in their top 6, seemed to be a priority - Draisaitl
Calgary - Defence/Center - would only be interesting if Ekblad dropped
NYI - No way Ekblad was making it there, and their next most glaring need/want was a winger to play with Tavares down the road. - Dal Colle.
I found this past draft to be so interesting. 5 years from now, we will start to see which of the centers seems to be 'the best' - Bennett, Reinhart, Draisaitl or Nylander (remember, many scouts felt he had the POTENTIAL to be the best offensive player in the draft, and a year earlier was touted as being a potential 1st overall). I would bet that Draisaitl finishes last amongst them, however.
I did want Reinhart - thought having two very cerebral, hockey IQ off the charts, natural born leaders as #1 and #2 centers would be impossible to stop. Now I think exchanging one for that speed, non-stop motor and tenacity makes more sense. I anticipate the Flames will be more difficult to stop with a Bennett/Poirier combo attacking relentlessly at speed and creating havoc with their physicality, and then having Monahan/Hudler just being so cerebral and picking apart holes. Gaudreau would be great on either line - compliments Bennett and Poirier with being able to make plays at high speed, or compliments Monahan and Hudler with how cerebral he is himself (and has shown very good chemistry thus far).
Damn I love this team now, the entertainment they look like they will bring for the next decade, and the hope they bring as well.
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