There's wisdom in what you say.
The moving up in the draft in what at the time was a bit of a vacuum of not knowing who would be available when they picked was a bit puzzling. Sometimes things just work out. Hage has been nothing but impressive in the Prospects Tournament and his first two games at Michigan. His skating ability and offensive vision are eye opening. I earlier stated that Hage reminds me of a bigger Barzal.
Of the three other players you mentioned, I can only comment positively on Vannacker. I never was impressed with Greentree as he has heavy feet which I think will limit his ultimate effectiveness at the NHL level and I haven't seen enough of Hemming to advance an informed opinion. But in my following of Florian Xhekaj's progress with the Bulldogs, I had a chance to watch Vannacker play at least 30 games.
Before the draft, I stated that Vannacker was one of the very few players that I would have moved up for. Vannacker is fast and highly skilled and projects to be a top six forward. I think a lot of teams were sleeping on this player and the fact that he fell near to the bottom of the first round confirmed my belief. The fact that Vannacker was able to be so effective while playing with a damaged shoulder that needed surgical repair made his performance even more impressive.
I think Hughes' failure to again move up in the draft to be in a position to take Vannacker was a missed opportunity. But the fortuitous opportunity to be in a position to draft both Demidov and Hage has a real chance to make the 2024 draft a franchise altering event.
Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.
