I understand that thinking. That's why I have Lipanov so high in my personal rankings. Might be a long shot and farther from the NHL than the others, but I definitely think that he might just have a really high ceiling. I also think Volkov has lots of potential too.
I agree. Much better skater and better defensively already than Dotchin. Hadn't thought about future pairings, but you've got a point about him being a possible great partner for Sergachev down the road. An aggressive offensive d-man and a solid, great skating defenseman with good hockey sense. Hmm, sounds a bit like they might end up being a baby Bolt version of Hedman/Strålman eventually. lol Although both would probably be paired with vets until they get some experience. Two rookies on a pairing during away games just invites opposing teams to snack on 'em.
I know Dotchin did well in his 35 games in the NHL, but he needs to show that he can perform at that level without being paired with Heddy. Some people here who saw more of him during the Calder Cup playoffs were not impressed with his performance there. I still think his true top ranking is as a solid 3rd pair Dman. Which is not a bad thing. Wouldn't it be nice to have 3 actual GOOD pairings? I see a higher ultimate potential in Cernak and Hajek. But, as always, that's just mho.
Whatever happens, it definitely looks like we have some really good prospects in the pipeline. When we disagree about rankings because we have so many good kids to pick from, we have a very good development program.