I understand your thought process, but when I read your viewing of BPA, I read it to be too much all encompassing; that it doesn't consider that the teams 100% take positional need into consideration when determining who is going to top their lists. Here's an example of my point, let's say something ridiculous happens and Svechnikov is sitting on the board at #6. Are you telling me that because of the positional need, it's more important to take the defenseman of your choosing over Svechnikov? Because on my personal board, I have Svechnikov significantly higher than Bouchard/Dobson/Hughes, even though I have been vocal that I want this team to have a legitimate defenseman as much as anyone else, so much so that I would sacrifice a combination of draft picks, prospects, and players to get an already proven, young defenseman when virtually nobody else would be willing to. There is a tipping point where the projections of a forward will surpass the need of a defenseman, and conversely, when the need of a defenseman will outweigh the projections of a forward.
With our current status, I think the need of a defenseman is a little bit overstated when you consider that our high water mark for goals scored by a single player in the past 3 years is 25, done by a player no longer with the team. We haven't had a 30 goal scorer since the 08-09 season...think about that for a minute. If Mantha (our best chance) falls short next year, we are likely looking at 10 straight years without a 30 goal scorer. My guess is we might be the only team that can say that.
I will never attempt talk anyone out of their opinion on who they think is the best player; I think it's 100% up to each person to determine how much they value filling positional need, or size, or play style, or character, or skill level. But when it comes down to building a list when dealing with a top 10 pick, it isn't going to be set up like "this is the best player, but we might like a lesser player because of the position he plays," that position is going to be rolled up into the rankings so, given the choice, you're just circling the highest name on the list. My list is my own; it won't match yours, it won't match the Holland's, but I won't drift from my rankings because I've already considered every possible variable when coming to my conclusions. I have Dobson and Bouchard very high on my list, so high that if either one are there at 6 I'm considering it a steal.
I hope that kind of clarifies what is going through my head in this discussion. It's not that I think picking a defenseman is the wrong choice or that the value you personally put on the positional need of the organization is invalid, but there's always a chance that a forward could be held in such high regard that positional need goes out the window.
EDIT: When I say our need of a defenseman is overstated, I am not saying that as an absolute. We desperately need defensive help. I am saying that in comparison to our need for help at the other positions as well.