I know Devils are probably looking for a top pairing D and a scoring winger. Askarov is a tough player to place but with both Drysdale and Sanderson picked I think Devils decide to stabilize the goalie position. You could easy switch Askarov and Quinn in my mock. I just couldn't drop Lundell anymore and think Devils pass up need for BPA. Devils then decide to take one of the best available D and go with the 6'4 good skating Wallinder.
Oh the Lundell pick I definitely agree with. I think you made the right choice there. And I definitely agree with you, Askarov is a fantastic prospect. With all that is being said by the NJ staff though, it seems as though Askarov won't be the pick at #7. I'm not going to deny his skill, it just doesn't seem to be the direction they want to go with the pick. If they do end up picking him, I will 100% happily be eating my words on that one, but I don't see it. As for Wallinder, that's mostly because I am not nearly as high on him as a lot others, and neither are most people on the Devils board. He is a great skater, but an absolute brick of a hockey player with nothing really going for him other than his skating right now. Obviously, with a defenseman that skates like that, the sky is the limit, but for a 1st rounder, you don't really want a guy who all your banking on is skating, because other than that, he does not have a single other above average attribute to him. One of the things the organization values most in a prospect is their hockey IQ, which I can say confidently that Wallinder does not have a high one of. With 20, I would probably expect a guy like Perreault on offense or Grans on defense, but again, if the Devils prove me wrong, I will admit it, albeit not very happily haha.
