Clarke, Power, Hughes...in that order. I would be disappointed if we are unable to grab one of the top 3 D after narrowly missing out on Drysdale last draft.
Let’s say we pick 5th. Which teams are mostly likely to draft a forward in the top four? After Beniers, which forward is most likely to be coveted? Seems very dicey that one of the D-men will be there 5 and lower. Ideally, no teams jump us with a lottery ball but one may be most probable...if two do....say goodbye to one of the big 3 D. I doubt one will be available at 6 but would love to be wrong.
I’m also curious what teams would likely go Hughes over Clarke.
Buffalo: Beniers seems to be gaining some steam as their likely top choice. The Eichel situation leaves them with a murky situation up the middle, and even if Eichel stays there is a good chance Cozens winds up as a RW in which case they still lack an internal option for 2C. The outside of Eichel, the biggest talent in the organization is a LD in Rasmus Dahlin, so I don't see Hughes as a big priority here. Power might be more attractive, because he is a far different player-type than Dahlin and perhaps they would see a future LD of Dahlin/Hughes as sort of their own version of Niedermeyer/Pronger, which essentially won Anaheim a Stanley Cup.
Anaheim: They are a wild card in the sense that they have huge needs at both LD and C, but they are the opposite of a wild card in the sense that they traditionally covet big + fast players, especially on D, more than any other team in the NHL. The pick of RD Drysdale in the first round last year certainly drops Clarke down on their list of organizational needs. I'd say their top choice would be Power, followed by Beniers. This is also a team I could see taking Edvinsson in the top 3 -- although his skill is not in the same league as Clarke or Hughes and his defense is not in the same league as Power, Edvinsson's combination of size/speed/Swedish is something Anaheim has traditionally up-ranked on their draft boards.
Seattle: traditionally, the best way to start an expansion team seems to be with a young, bluechip center. This would lead us to believe that Beniers would be their top choice. But in terms of Power vs. Hughes vs. Clarke, anyone would be lying if they claimed to know which of the D Seattle would prefer.
Columbus: this is a team desperate for a top center, so again I'd say Beniers would top their list. In terms of prospect D, their organization is pretty thin on both LD and RD, though they have young studs at both positions at the NHL level in Seth Jones and Werenski. But if Columbus picked top 3, I feel they would take a forward no matter what.
Detroit: this is the one team I could envision taking Hughes 1st overall. His speed and offense on a pairing with bluechip RD prospect Moritz Seider would be absolutely incredible. Power's game is actually similar to Seider in several respects. And LD is the thinnest position in the Red Wings organization both at the NHL and prospect levels -- they have a big need here.
Vancouver: the Canucks have built a nice prospect pool and are not desperate at any particular position. However, they are deeper at LD than RD and have no high-upside offensive RD either at the NHL or prospect levels, though they do have one at LD in Quinn Hughes. So, I feel the Canucks would take Clarke over Hughes, but this also is a rather "old school" front office which might prefer Power. So I feel they would prioritize either Clarke or Power over Hughes.
San Jose: the Sharks are another team with needs everywhere in the prospect pool. But their top center Logan Couture is aging. They had an incredible draft last year getting two good young centers in Bordeleau and Robins in the second round, but I still feel they would prioritize Beniers. On the off-chance the Sharks went D I feel it would be Power getting the nod, as most of their prospect D lack size and physicality and the management seems to covet that with their NHL blueliners.
Los Angeles: this is the only team who I feel would consider Wallstedt in the top 3. They have the best prospect pool in the entire NHL and are stacked at every position. They have a very good defense-oriented D on both the left and right side with Bjornfot and Faber, but they lack a high-end offensive D in the organization. Their best offensive-minded D prospect is likely an undersized RD in Jordan Spence. I feel if the Kings won the lottery they would take Hughes 1st overall, call it a hunch.
Ottawa: Beniers is the only choice here. This is the deepest prospect pool in the league at LD, and they are also very deep at RD and on both wings. What they lack is a #1 center. If Beniers was gone, I feel Ottawa's second choice would be Guenther, who also fits their organizational prototype of a big, high-compete, two way player. Ottawa's love of larger bodies would seem to knock Eklund below the other top forwards. In the very remote that Beniers and Guenther were off the table and the Senators had a choice of the Big 3 D, I feel they would take Clarke, as they have a bigger need at RD than LD and they traditionally love drafting locally from the OHL.