If the top Goalie of the draft was still around (Hrabel) at our pick would you guys be okay with it? Or is it the feeling that we've drafted enough goalies the past couple years that we should see what we have before drafting one in the early rounds?
dont think its fair to say top goalie. he might get the most votes to go first but i think the class is kinda open in this regard. theres probably an expected top 2/3 of hrabal, bjarnason, and maybe augustine, with another batch of guys like fowler, gajan, ratzlaff, etc. not terribly far behind, not to mention a few darkhorses like clara who could surprise and go earlier due to size, athleticism, and an elite glove. goalie drafting in particular feels so wonky come draft day
hrabal has tremendous tools and reaction speed but really struggles moving laterally and has some issue anticipating play. bjarnason pretty much checks the box for anything youre looking for in a starter (size, reflexes, tracking, etc) but has difficulties with his stance and a little bit of a spooky resume (granted he was a workhorse for a crap BWK team). augustine is about as focused and as technically sound of a netminder as you can find, though hes on the smaller end for goalies and is almost too rigid at times which is gonna get him beat on plays the other two likely wouldnt give up
that said, i think thered be clear starter potential in some of these options and would be fine with a goalie being the pick at 58, i just dont know if im over the moon on any one of them enough (or think theres enough separation amongst the group) to push for it