2018 NHL Draft: Report card grades for every team

Arizona Coyotes – D

First Round Pick: Barrett Hayton (C) (5)

What was Arizona thinking? Filip Zadina fell right into their lap and they went with Barrett Hayton, who most had outside of the lottery. Maybe Hayton turns into the second coming of Patrice Bergeron. You never know. But this was a clear case of a team drafting for positional need instead of taking the best player available. That’s a fine strategy if the talent level between the two wasn’t so wide. The Coyotes were desperate for a center and took who they thought was the best center on the board. The Suns drafted DeAndre Ayton the night before, so that may have thrown off the Coyotes. Arizona could have easily traded this pick to a team in the middle of the first round, still selected Hayton, and acquired some extra draft picks. There had to be some team out there willing to move up for Zadina. Just a baffling move.

Other Notable Picks: Kevin Bahl (D) (55)

I like the Kevin Bahl pick, especially at No. 55. He’s a big kid and great in his own end. He’s more of a throwback than a modern defenseman, but those guys still have a place in the NHL. The Coyotes also got good value in Jan Jenik, selected in the third round. Ivan Prosvetov may have been a bit of a reach, but goaltenders are the toughest to predict.

I like what Arizona did later in the draft. But I can’t forgive them for what they did in round one. There’s no reason to pass on Zadina or not at least trade back. Especially for a guy who was projected to be taken late first round at best.