Wow. This is tough. As tough as I can remember. I could make a case for Morin, Gostisbehere, and Sanheim. I don't even consider Laughton as our #1 guy as strange as that may seem. Some may take that as a dis, but I rank guys according to how likely I would be to trade them. I just think the upside of all 3 defenseman outweigh what Laughton may be. Homerism aside, I think all 3 could be #1 defensemen. Not exactly a probability for any of them, but certainly a possibility. I think there is a very good chance we will finally get our number 1 guy among this crop. The hard part for me is deciding who has the best chance.
Morin- On pure ceiling, he is #1 no doubt. He checks just about every box. His pure gifts are some of the best in all of junior hockey. He has the potential to dominate in all 3 zones. Whether he becomes a #1 will depend on how much he produces offensively. I was pretty optimistic about his offensive game going back to before he was even selected and I'm still optimistic, but he has to keep progressing.
Gostisbehere- he will have to produce offensively at not just a good level, but at an elite level to be considered a #1. I don't think he will be a liability defensively because he's too good of a skater, but I don't think his size will ever allow him to dominate like Morin could. His intangibles are off the charts though and that moves him up a few notches in my book.
Sanheim- This kid is just scratching the surface of his potential. He's a happy medium between Morin and Gostisbehere. Big frame. Great skater. Really smart. Really good puck skills. As he fills out, he's going to be scary. The only thing left to see is how his play carries over this season. I expect big things from him this year, but development wise he's behind the other two for obvious reasons. While Morin has the highest upside, I think Sanheim has a better probability of reaching his. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he is #1 on this list come next season. Really excited about his future.