Problem for Cooley is he’s further from the NHL, in that he needs to prop up several aspects, so his upside is that much harder to judge.
Yeah, I mean that's why none of us are NHL scouts, it's difficult to project an 18 year old, kids with different development curves than peers of the same age to what he'll be even a year from now, 5 years from now, 10...
I don't have an issue with Slafkovsky as no.1 tbh, because he represents the highest upside in the draft if everything hits. The dude is just built different. 238lbs teenager. Unique blend of size, strength and skill. Wright has a safe floor, in that he's a great skater that projects as a two-way player with elite hockey iq. The only issue regarding Wright is mostly his lack of flash and perceived internal drive.
I think if a team is picking someone 1st overall, they want a leader, they want a guy that is unfazed by the big moment, someone that teammates can look to and think, he'll go get us one down late in the game. As a 4th overall, you don't have the same pressure to be THAT guy. And Beniers is probably leadership personified. It's a home run pick for Seattle.