In my first NHL Mock Draft this month, I considered both who I thought was the best player and who would actually be picked by each club. Shouldn’t that be the same thing, though? Not quite.
Arguments about drafting the best player available (as in most talented and most likely to reach his potential) versus drafting by need come up year after year. But it seems impossible to settle it. Generally, I say drafting by need is not exactly a smart thing to do — shouldn’t you always go for the most talented and, from a business standpoint, most valuable player?