I understand Simashev since he’s by all accounts a complete defenceman. But Reinbacher has more tools than all of the others. And it also can’t be based on production either since he produced a rate similar to Josi in his draft year.
NDN, OFS, FUS and Nilsson should all be targets. Love the J20 crop this year.
Simashev seems like a pretty direct comparable to Zadorov. He had similar smooth hands in his draft year and he had the same problem, pedestrian production. Zadorov was a maniac though and would play super physical, as we know he does.
Barlow is a very safe prospect, will score you 25-30 goals a year so the floor is very high, already plays the game like a pro. The question as far as Im concerned is the upside, while the shot and scoring skills are there, the rest of his tools are decent, but not great, his feet are a bit heavy for his size and while he is very effective along the boards, in his puck battles ect, he still isnt a force like Brady tkachuk or other notable power fowards. I would totally welcome him with the Florida pick, but its unlikely he is there at 18 and I think its too early with the Habs pick. If we end up with the 6-7 pick and my favorites are gone, I would rather pick Leonard over him who has a more diversified toolbox and probably a higher upside.
I already placed mines on Reinbacher or Dvorsky + Edmonton or Boston to win cup. I think the odds are worth it at this point. You can back up on Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson to recover your money.
Edit: just saw your top 10 ranking that you posted elsewhere earlier this week:
I’m the one who missed something.
Can't say I'd be stoked with either option if I'm honest. Don't see that star power in such a good draft compared to last year. Of course, I also get the concerns with Smith and Benson too, but their upside is higher in my opinion. I would entertain trading down.
Their upside isn't really higher, it's just fabricated. They all have top line/top pair upside.
I think Reinbacher's potential is huge and has alot of upside to impact the game in all facets of the game.
I think the biggest downside drafting Michkov is that IIRC you almost certainly won't see him before 2026, because that's his contract status regardless of any conflict. 3 years, that's a long wait. Ideally he'd come over in 2024 and be NHL ready, if not right away.
I see him more as a #2/#3 dman rather than that superstar #1 dman.
Sometimes the best pick is just under our nose....Étienne Morin...though I think he will be picked before our second round pick...pick #37.
