I still hate Benning for pushing him out due to his ego.
It's no surprise that the Wild have a top 10 prospect pool in the NHL.
This is a Silovs thread but I feel like posting about this topic again...
From the little I know, I do like Brackett and his approach to the draft process and I do think he has an eye for talent. With that said, talk is cheap and he's probably overrated by many here.
Look at his drafts. Let's start with 2017 where Linden reportedly gave the scouts the autonomy to draft. The Canucks had Petey and Makar #1/#2. Awesome work. What came after? Lind and Gadjovich? Gadjovich has surprisingly stuck in the NHL so he's definitely not a bust and Josh Brook (who certain poster(s) raged about bypassing) didn't amount to anything either. I like the Dipietro and Rathbone picks but we didn't get much out of that draft aside from Petey.
2018 many posters felt that previous management had tunnel vision for Hughes but I assume Brackett would be on board. Who came after? Woo was Brackett's pick. Romanov went right after. We heard on the behind the scenes video that it was Woo or trade down for Brackett. There were some decent Dmen drafted later in the 2nd round as well. Woo wasn't a suprise faller either. I have no issues with the Madden pick. Coincidentally, Minnesota drafted Dewar later in the round.
2019, Pods was also Brackett's pick. Some here think that previous management would have vetoed Brackett had Broberg been available but he wasn't and Brackett made the call to pick Pods. I'm a fan of Pods but Boldy and Caufield were available. Who came after? Well previous management reportedly moved Hoglander up the list and some believe they had "stripped Brackett of his authority." We picked up Silovs later in the draft but it doesn't look like we'll get anybody else.
Point is that our Brackett run drafts haven't been that great. Our OHL scouting has also sucked under Brackett even though his right hand man was our top OHL scout Palango.
And what did Brackett do in Minnesota? Rossi showed this year that he isn't a bust, but Jarvis and Lundell were available. In the second round, Minnesota had two 2nd round picks and didn't select Minnesota's own Brock Faber. Later drafts are a bit too early to draft. They did trade up to draft Wallsteadt when Wyatt Johnston was still available. I don't think Minnesota regrets that decision but I think you get the point.
And of all the talk about autonomy, maybe autonomy really was just about a seat at the table and not about some principled approach to drafting. In last year's draft, the Wild admitted to bypassing a more skilled guy in the draft. Brackett defended the pick by saying ""Just having someone higher on our list doesn't necessarily mean they're the right fit for us." How would you have responded if Benning said that?
