he has some very desirable traits (high-end compete, good skating, good shot, good skill) but to me he's in a (large) batch of guys in this draft who profile more as complimentary top-six/top-four players.
the goal, assuming they pick in the top 5, should be to get a player who controls play and can be a building block, rather than someone who will be a useful but ultimately supporting piece.
to me, the guys who profile as that are:
- celebrini (duh) – reminds me a lot of a brayden point type
- demidov – panarin-level possession/creation monster
- parkeh – boom-or-bust, but the upshot is an adam fox type monster top-pair, PP1 defenseman (imo mateychuk could be the toews to his makar)
- dickinson – not dynamic enough to be an NHL PP1 guy, but looks like he will control play in all three zones at the next level
- levshunov – a more dynamic but less refined dickinson, but right handed
the next cohort of prospects profiles, to me, as being more complimentary pieces in the top half of a lineup, rather than guys who stir the drink, so to speak. i have lindstrom, silayev, eiserman, etc. in that tier.
that said, seeing as i am supremely unqualified to be passing any of this off as expertise, i will 100% be talking myself into whoever they end up picking. so if that ends up being someone like berkly catton, i will absolutely ride or die for that kid.