There's like 2 drafts going on 1 involves McDavid and Eichel, they're franchise players and then there's the rest who until Button rated them, it was Hanifin at the top, until Button came along there wasn't any doubt. How can you argue with a player who is now 6'5", 200 plus lbs, skates like he's 5'10", defends like Lidstrom with a very high potential offensive game that was becoming more evident as the year went on and he was becoming his team's go to d-man at 17 in university against men. This guy has no weaknesses unlike Strome or Marner or Provorov and he plays mean when he needs to.
Until Button came along it was the franchises, Hanifin and Crouse and Crouse hasn't done anything to cause his sudden perceived decline in the ratings much like Forsberg hadn't in his draft year or Jones in his draft year. Hanifin has actually improved since the beginning of the year but he's never probably going to finish in the top 10 in scoring so his sex appeal has dropped but his level of play, character, what have you has only gotten better. He's not a flash in the pan 1 year wonder like Strome or Marner may be, he's rock steady excellent with even more room to grow.
I think it's very telling that someone of Connor Brown's modest skill set was able to win the OHL scoring title and even more telling that another of McDavid's team mates was able to win the race the next year so Strome is someone I'd want to see succeed on his own without McDavid. I know Strome did great for a brief period without McDavid but that's just a brief period, I want to know more and pokey skating doesn't cut it for me.
TO needs a #1 center and if it isn't Strome then maybe Marner, if I'm a junior coach with a player who's potential is Giroux like as a center then I'd move heaven and earth to make sure he plays as a center, yet he spent most of the year at RW, why I wonder?
I think great teams are composed of great d-men, great centers and great goalies, to me Hanifin fits into the great d-man possible category, TO is still d-man deficient and in my mind nothing from his past or present has ever deviated from what should be a HOF career.
Next year the projected rating for the top 10 draft choices includes 5 centers, 1 of which has actually out performed Eichel at the same age so picking anyone but Hanifin is senseless to me, of course, if he's available.
I have a hard time believing that Arizona won't jump on Hanifin but I guess I can understand that they feel with OEL and the boys they have enough quality to prosper and that might be right because OEL is that good. Is Rielly that good, I don't know, I actually thought Percy outplayed Rielly while he was with the Leafs and I don't think Percy is TO's next OEL, TO needs an OEL or even better 2 of them. TO doesn't need more Kadris or more wingers.