It's so sad to see what has happened to Nail Yakupov ... On the bright-side, this draft has produced a lot of #1D!
Here is my list:
1) Morgan Rielly --->> A 2WD that has shown his value in the NHL. He is a capable #1D, any one who thinks differently does not watch him play and merely reads plus-minus. He lead the Maple Leafs, a team with a lack of quality defense-men to 6th place in the entire NHL! His 2-way play accentuated in the playoffs. He is not just an offensive piece, he is a defensive specialist as well. He is paired with Rookies or Ron Hainsey (who is past his prime) and faces one of THE TOUGHEST MATCH-UPS and USAGE in the entire NHL, and, has made it look easy. Keep in mind that the Leafs have only Rielly to turn to on Defense. No one else comes close to his play on the Leafs' roster.
2) Filip Forsberg. -->>> Rielly and Forsberg are interchangeable. They are very close in value, but, a gun pointed to my head -- if I were asked to build a team and given the choice between Rielly and Forsberg, I would chose #1D Rielly over the #1w Forsberg-- simply due to his 2-way play. Forsberg has led the Preds' offense for many years now, and, has developed into one of the premier wingers in the NHL. Forsberg definantly has the potential for 90+ points, I believe he is due for 90+ points, as early as next season.
3) Shane Ghostistbehere -->> He is a true offensive specialist. He is only 25 years old still and isn't even close to hitting his prime. He definantly has the potential to reach Erik Karlsson status, the only question is ... how bad does he want it? He has the neccessary IQ and Skill-level to reach that level.
4) Matt Dumba -->> Dumba is one of the best up and coming D-MAN in the game, he is shadowed by the Wilds' quantity of terrific defense-men! His value is close to Rielly's, but, a little less, only because Rielly was the sole quality defender on the Leafs and lead the Leafs to top 6 in the NHL. Also, I believe, Rielly has better 2-way play than Dumba. But, Dumba could easily overtake Rielly in the future. Matt Dumba is a #1D at the moment, and, one of the games best at that!
5) Andrei Valisevski -->> One of the best goalies in the NHL currently. You COULD make a case for him being the best. Key-word, COULD. This rank placement is very miscellaneous, because it's a goalie. The value of Goalies in the NHL is a complete mystery. Goalies are un-predictable, one season they are good, the next, they are bad. Hopefully Valisevski can keep up his consistency!