Yeah, I agree, unfortunately. That's why I said if he's there.
I hope they move up to get him, if necessary. Some think he'll be better than Dahlin.
That's a...stretch...
I have done a lot of reading on Hughes the past couple of weeks. His speed and offensive instincts are incredible and are on par with the best in this draft. In fact, he may be tops in both categories. I just can't seem to find a way to get past two things...and I'm sure most already know what they are: size and defense.
I don't think the two are correlated as much as they used to be. Defenders have gotten much better with their sticks, and speed has proven to be the biggest asset for any player in the new NHL, in every single zone. He's got that in bunches. With the right coaching and a bit of trial and error, he could certainly figure out the defensive side of the game at the NHL level.
But, man, I'd be weary about rolling a defenseman out there for 25+ minutes a night, against top players, that's showing up at 5'10, 180 lbs in full gear. Yes he's young, and yes he can definitely can (and probably will) add some weight. But you just don't come across any #1 defensemen that are sub 6'0, 195 lbs. People will point to Karlsson as a prime example, but even he's listed as 6'0, 191 lbs on NHL.com, and is one of the most talented players in the world...not exactly a fair comp for an 18 year old.
If Gorton thinks that one of Lindgren/Hajek/Day can develop into a top-pair shut down defenseman, then by all means Quinn should be heavily considered. But I would be weary about selecting him with the hope that he fills that role. If they're looking for a true, traditional top-pair defenseman (which I don't think they have right now), then I think Dobson is the best choice.