I’m actually liking this draft more and more, at least the first two rounds- although it may not be as “sexy” as a few other drafts in year’s past. I think most people’s frustrations lie in the fact that there aren’t many truly elite centers available. It’s true, this a draft for high-end defensemen, but make no mistake- the D in the top-20 all have star potential. That doesn’t make this a bad draft, but it sure is bad timing for Flames’ fans.
Carels, Verhoeff, Rudolph, Reid, Lin, Smits, and maybe even Villeneuve all have top-pairing potential. Gustafsson and Piiparainen might be on a lower peg as far as”blue-chip” potential (for lack of a better term), but they are up there too.
There some forwards who have top-six blue-chip potential as well, in Klepov, Malhotra, Lawrence, Shilov, Morozov, Bjorck, and Nordmark, to name a few.
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