Quote:
Originally Posted by Five-hole
Do you think there's any team out there that might have a d-man ranked higher than Puljujarvi? Not asking which team, but whether it's a foregone conclusion that Puljujarvi goes 3rd.
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It's possible but unlikely IMO. Bob Mackenzie's list had rare consensus at the midterm with every single scout he talked to having Matthews/Laine/Puljujarvi as the top 3. Not a single other player was voted for the top 3. Meanwhile there were 5 players that all got considerations for 4th so consensus diverges quickly after that top 3. We've also seen comments from Benning indicating they'd like a d-man if they aren't drafting top 3, which again indicates those top 3 forwards are considered by most if not at all to be a tier above the d-men this draft.
It's hard to completely rule out possibilities around the draft. Chychrun does seem to be thought of as a potential franchise defensemen by some. And I do think that even if a team has Puljujarvi ahead of all the d-men if they have a dire need for defensemen perhaps there are offers they would consider to move down a spot or two.
But yeah, safe bet is to assume the vast majority of teams have the top 3 forwards in a separate tier above all the d-men.