I wrote out a long post about how good Parekh is before the page crashed on my phone and deleted it. I was surprised to see the disappointed reaction in here when the Flames took him yesterday. Parekh is who I would have picked if given the same board the Flames had.
I wrote this about him when ranking the prospects I thought would be avaliable at the Flames pick:
"2. Zayne Parekh
No denying that if there's one thing the Flames have enough of it's offensive D-men prospects. Poirier, Brustewicz and Morin are all offensive oriented D-men from the last 3 drafts. So for that reason I won't be upset if we don't pick Parekh but I think he's got the highest offensive potential of the D-men in this draft by quite a bit. I think the guys we currently have in our system are guys with offensive upside who could QB a powerplay one day but I don't know that any of them are the total package offensively that Parekh is. I think it's more likely that they turn into something closer to Sean Durzi or Erik Gustaffson rather than a real game changer offensively. Of the three, Poirier is closest IMO but I think Parekh is a good bit better at passing and puck movement. I don't really know what to compare him to, I think the Makar comparisons are too much, but I do think he has elite offensive potential. Maybe post-ACL Erik Karlsson? Still dynamic and a game changer offensively but weaker defensively and not one of the best skaters in the world.
I also don't think his defense is as bad as advertised. I've seen him make some very good reads and break ups it's more about consistency. He's also one of those guys who looks kind of nonchalant so when he does mess up it looks BAD. Hopefully no longer being injured and maybe a real system that doesn't rely so heavily on him for offense improves things."
I had Catton ranked #1 but I don't think Parekh's upside is any lower. I just think Catton is a bit more of a sure thing. Silayev being avaliable doesn't change their ranks for me.
I think the bottom line is that this was a home run swing at a player with massive upside. Parekh isn't good offensively, he's elite. Elite prospects called him "the best offensive D-man prospect since 2018". He can create offense anywhere on the ice. He's an elite seam passer, has a fantastic shot with a deceptive release, great edge work and good hands.
Overall I get why some preferred Buium, Dickinson or Silayev. I liked all of them and would have been fine with any of them but I think the Flames made the right choice betting on the dude with the huge ceiling.