I just find the line between a C and Winger has becoming increasingly blurred every passing year, at the NHL level specifically, with the speed, pace and style of today's NHL game.
I recall a point you made awhile back about defensive zone systems, and how maybe the zone D systems are going the way of the dodo bird. And watching these playoffs I'm starting to think you are bang on. In a zone D, you need that strong defensive player in the middle to help defend down low. Is these more fluid hybrid or man-to-man systems which seems to be where the game is trending, I don't think it matters as much. You get situations where the wingers have to come down low, centers chasing up high. In the offensive zone in the case of a turnover, the high forward is just that, the high forward, doesn't really matter what position they started on the face-off.
Going back to the draft, I don't look at it as it's super-hard to find elite centers outside of the Top 10 of the draft, I see it as it's super-hard to find truly elite players outside the Top 10 of the draft. This league is driven by elite players, the more of them you have, the better.
Colorado found that out the hard way this year. For years people screamed that Toronto needs to trade Nylander and spread his cap around to beef up the D and G. I think it's clear they made the right call holding onto Nylander who may be their best player. I don't see them letting Marner walk this summer.
The only reason the Bruins didn't fall off earlier like Chicago is because they found an elite player in Pasta in the later part of the 1st round, and found a pseudo-elite D-man in McAvoy outside the Top 10. Those two picks extended the Bruins window beyond that of their late 2000s/early 2010 contemporaries.
If I'm drafting high, I wouldn't be picky and try to identify a positional need. Whoever I feel the best player available is, should also be the one with the best chance of becoming an elite player, take that player.
