glenwo2
LINDY RUFF NEEDS VIAGRA!!
I'm going to need to refer you to a good shrink my friend, because you're just projecting your own fears. There is no player who fits both the draft needs and draft tendencies of the teams drafting between #4 and #6 overall better than Jake Sanderson.
Is there a chance Sanderson falls to #7? Of course. There is always a chance. And I do believe that the Devils take him there if he does, unless Drysdale is also bizarrely still available. But just because a draft writer does not see how a team like Anaheim could possibly pass on a kid they love personally as much as a Raymond or a Rossi, the Anaheim scouting room is filled with a bunch of 45 to 65 year old dudes who factor in size and toughness and two-way play to the same degree that a draft writer might factor in skating and passing vision.
Again, is it impossible that the Ducks take an undersized F at #7? No it's not. But this is a team whose draft board probably has guys like Sanderson, Holtz and Quinn ranked with higher grades. There is just so much variance between teams' draft boards. We're just talking about the top 10, but I could see Anaheim ranking big power forward Dylan Holloway in their top 10 range, and I could also see Anaheim ranking players like Khusnutdinov and Andrae as 6th round picks. They just don't take small centers or small defensemen, ever. Ottawa is very similar in this respect. What do these two teams love more than anything? Players like Jake Sanderson.
As far as the #18 overall pick goes, I can project all I want who the best player will be, because that's what we draft writers do. But if you want to know who is the most talented? I'd have to say that will be Jacob Perreault by a long shot. I can't say this enough -- in terms of 2020 highly-ranked wingers Perreault has higher upside than Holtz or Quinn, and maybe even more than Raymond and Perfetti. Let's say I was forced to rank their tools individually, including Perreault in the "consensus top 4 wings not named Lafreniere".
Skating
1 Raymond
2 Perreault
3 Perfetti
4 Holtz
5 Quinn
Shot
1 Holtz
2 Quinn
3 Perreault
4 Perfetti
5 Raymond
Hands
1 Perfetti
2 Raymond
3 Perreault
4 Holtz
5 Quinn
Passing/Vision
1 Raymond
2 Perfetti
3 Perreault
4 Quinn
5 Holtz
As you can see, the reason Lucas Raymond is my highest ranked of these players is because he has the best overall skill set. But, when I do s**t like this in my notebook at home, I can't help but notice that there's only one player in the top 3 list for all of my "Big 4" offensive categories -- and that's Perreault. His skill set has no weakness whatsoever. Where the cynicism comes in is when I factor in my intangibles:
Two-Way Play
1 Quinn
2 Holtz
3 Perfetti
4 Raymond
5 Perreault
Hockey IQ
1 Perfetti
2 Raymond
3 Perreault
4 Quinn
5 Holtz
Compete Level
1 Perfetti
2 Quinn
3 Holtz
4 Raymond
5 Perreault
It's also important to note that Perreault is a far, far #5 in the two categories he finished #5 in. But we also need to factor in that Perreault is the youngest of these 5 players, and my "intangibles" categories do not affect your talent ceiling, only your talent floor. What intangibles really do is maximize the potential of a player's physical tool set. Again, this is where Perreault needs work.
I would say in terms of sheer upside, Perreault is almost certainly the most talented player likely to be available at #18 overall. The runners-up in my opinion would be Amirov and Lapierre and Gunler, and Khusnutdinov and Mysak would be in the conversation. But will he be the best player? I can't say I would draft any of these players over a guy like Dawson Mercer, who is not only a terrific hockey player but also does everything right every time he steps on the ice and hustles his ass off every shift.
Then give me Perreault at 18 (inject that into my veins).
(I'm going to need it, I think. lol )