Quoting: Nhl_oilers
It’s not a bad plan to grab Catton at #10, however, I doubt he makes it passed Montreal, and definitely not passed Utah.
UTAH has 0 Defensman signed last i checked.
Their Owners said they want to compete today like VGK
IF Demidov goes 2nd and Lindstrom 3rd it will create a Freefall of Quality D Galore for Utah.
Levshunov who's ready now likely wont be taken over Iginla, Catton or Eiserman as CBJ has Defense galore and needs Forwards same as MTL
If Levshunov goes top 3 with any other D going top 5 then Catton could fall to 10th
We're talking ANA and CHI both choosing D which isnt even unlikely its just hard to see teams passing up on Demidov or Lindstrom
Then you consider Demidovs KHL Contract which is always an issue effecting Draft positioning and Lindstrom being injured most of his Draft year like Galchenyuk was.
Its very possible if 5 D go in the top 10 which is likely given so many NCAA Players, Memorial Cup players , WJC players,ext on the Blueline finished or are finishing strong.
Buium wasnt even top 10 to start the year but is being talked about top 5 after breaking Lane Hutsons NCAA record he set last year. Buium did it while winning the championship no less.
Dickinsons a 17 year old averaging 25+ minutes in a Memorial cup and playing a dominant role as a big blue liner who's the most Versatile top 4 D prospect in this draft.
Levshunov finished his first year in NCAA after leaving Russia and did so as a top 10 NCAA Dman as the 6'2 209lbs Dman
He's done so while playing a complete game at both ends of the ice taking him from a top 10 option to start the year to a top 5 must in virtually every ranking.
Doesnt stop there either
We got Lefty's and Righty's all top 4 guys
You also got Yakemchuk and Parekh guys who will grow into a 2nd pair role from bottom pair and Special teams plays.
Yakemchuk lays those Alexi Emelin level Predatory Grey Area but Technically Legal hits and will take time to mold into a top 4 regular as he needs to gain mass to play his style at the NHL level.
Parekh is a Special Teams star who plays solid on PK and PP with the same need for mass to transition his style of game to a top 4 role.
Lots of guys this year but this is the most stacked draft of quality D ive seen since the 2003 draft