Count me among those B's fans petrified that they were going to draft Beaulieu. I was very vocal here leading up to the draft that I just don't think he's nearly as good as some wanted to believe, and I desperately wanted the Bruins to pass on him. Way too much one hand on the stick defense for this guy, way too many bad turnovers, and just not good enough defensively in my opinion.
Here's my thing...when it looked like the Bruins were going to take him, I desperately wanted to fall in love with his game, and I just couldn't make myself do it.
Well, I really don't think those concerns are well-founded. Let's examine the situation:
If Hamilton had been off the board when the Bruins picked (and I was just as shocked as Chiarelli & co. that he was available), I believe everyone just knew/realized that the Bruins were going to take a defenseman. In particular, the preference would have been for an offensive-type who could be a PP guy. So let's look at the options:
1) Ryan Murphy -- no question, the most skilled guy on the board. But if you have legitimate concerns about this guy playing 5-on-5 minutes or being poor defensively, there may be too much risk here at 9th overall.
2) Duncan Siemens -- great player, but almost a pure defensive defenseman who does not expect to be a significant offensive contributor of PP guy. So doesn't really fit the Bruins' needs.
3) Oscar Klefbom -- this fast-rising prospect was ranking in or near the top 10 by some scouts. But there are also some risks to his game, and perhaps there was just wasn't a large enough sample-size of this player and/or other concerns that would make the Bruins pass at #9.
4) Connor Murphy -- could be the steal of the draft, but there was a ton of risk with a small sample size & injury concerns. Like with Klefbom, probably too much risk at #9.
5) Jamie Oleksiak -- Could be the next Tyler Myers, could also be the next Hall Gill. I figured Boston got to see a ton of this kid because he played locally, so they would make the right decision on this player whether they took him or passed on him. He would have been a pick to consider at #9.
6) Jonas Brodin -- a very sensible choice if Hamilton was gone.
7) Nathan Beaulieu -- along with Brodin, an extremely sensible choice at #9. I also think he is an extremely SAFE pick. His upside is high-end top-2 Dman, and his down side is a very high-end #3 guy who can be a great offensive & puck-moving Dman who can run your power play. The only risk or question in his game, IMO, is whether he will be a legit #1 guy or if he will be more of a #2 or #3. I think he's an extremely safe bet to play in the NHL and also to make an impact there -- and in the not-too-distant future.
So as you can see, Beaulieu would have been a very sensible selection, along with Brodin, if Hamilton was gone.
One other thing: remember hearing a brief rumor during the draft -- around the time pick #6 or #7 was happening -- that Nashville was going to trade Ryan Ellis to Boston for #9? I know it was just a rumor, but it makes too much sense to be ignored and would fit the need for both teams extremely well. Boston could have got one of the top-5 drafted prospects in the game with an incredible pedigree who could step in THIS season and make an impact, especially on their PP.
NSH would have got a chance to draft a guy like Couturier (who may also be ready to step in very soon) or another high-end forward prospect. And I think we all know it's only a matter of time before they trade one of their good young D-men or D-prospects for some help up front. But when Couturier was selected and/or when Hamilton was available, the Bruins couldn't pass up Hamilton and made the right selection, and that potential deal was dead.
So again, if Hamilton wasn't available, any one of Ellis, Brodin or Beaulieu --or maybe Ryan Murphy -- would have been a good choice.
Make sense?