Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Puljujarvi is ranked 3rd OA in what is a considered a strong draft where the top-3 are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. Bennett was drafted 4th overall in an average draft. Is it really crazy to think Puljujarvi has higher value? That he would have been drafted higher than Bennett in Bennett's draft year?
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Bennett was the top ranked skater by CSS in his draft. Hard to say where Puljujarvi would have gone in that draft, but I think it's very safe to say that he would not have been a clear 1st overall (i.e. ranked higher than Bennett).
Also, Bennett has an additional 2 years of development under his belt, where he has continued to show that he is on a path to be a top line player (whereas Puljujarvi is still very much a teenage risk).
Bennett is also a C and has leadership/grit intangibles.
I could see some people thinking Puljujarvi might have similar value to Bennett, but it's hard to argue that he has more. And I would argue that he has a fair bit less.
If I were trading Bennett for Puljujarvi, I would be expecting that the other side would be adding.