Joined Lowetide this morning on TSN 1260 to talk about the draft lottery and what the Oilers should do with that 4th overall pick.

Couple things:

• I’m awful with draft/prospect stuff. I don’t watch a lot of junior hockey, so I rely heavily on what guys like Bob McKenzie and others have to say as well as the data.
• If I’m Chiarelli, I shop that pick and try to package it with players to acquire help on defence. My second option is to turn that pick into two, or three, picks in the first two rounds. The prospect pool needs a boost, so I’d try to spread the risk of that one pick across two more picks.
• If all else fails, you take the best player available regardless of position. Honestly, my first take on the 4th pick was “okay good, the Oilers can draft for need now and take one of those defencemen”. But on second thought, the draft is the only time a team can take any player they want for free, no strings attached. You have to take the best player available at this point and rely on your scouts to uncover a prospect in the second and third rounds. If you’re drafting-for-need with the 4th pick, that shows a lack of confidence in your scouting staff.
• And just a heads up that my colleague over at Copper & Blue, Scott Reynolds, will be posting his analysis of this draft class as he’s done in the past. Really looking forward to that.
• In case you missed it, I joined the AIH 20416 podcast on Saturday night. Had a great chat with some Jets fans. Happy that they get to pick 2nd.