Why Ellis is a good fit with Nashville

The reaction at the Predators’ draft party at O’Charley’s in Franklin, TN wasn’t kind to the Predators’ pick of Ryan Ellis. Boos filled the restaurant and disgruntled fans started to make their way to the exits. The popular pick with the fans would have been forward Jordan Schroeder, who fell to the Canucks at #22. And yes, I feel the pain of Preds fans that disagreed with GM David Poile’s decision… flashy/exciting forwards are always nice to have. But it’s also nice to have a premier puck-moving defenseman in your organization.

Ellis, at 5’9” and 173, has a wicked slap shot from the point and is very reliable in his own end. He racked up 89 points in 57 games for Windsor of the OHL this season, who won the Memorial Cup. He’s also not afraid to show a gritty side to his game, and lay a big hit on his opponent. Ellis projects to be a premier power play quarterback when he arrives to the NHL.

Poile’s philosophy has always been on the defensive side of the puck… it seems like he always picks more d-men than forwards! But after Blum, Franson, and Sulzer, there are not many defensemen in the Preds’ system that is a guarantee to come to Nashville. Those 3 will eventually make it to the NHL in the next 1-2 years. Sulzer & Franson could step in this season. Ellis offers more depth to the defense in the system that the team needed, whether the fans like it or not. Poile also picked up a solid forward in Zach Budish with the 41st pick. Budish was supposed to be a 1st round pick, but missed most of last season with a knee injury suffered playing high school football. He'll surely fully recover from the injury, and is a big power forward that the Preds will be lucky to have in the lineup in 2-3 years.

I understand offense is the current need on the roster, but Jordan Schroeder won’t be ready for the NHL for at least 2 more years (like Ellis). He is going to be a good player with the Canucks, but Ellis is going to be a perfect fit for the Predators. I’d understand the displeasure if the Preds were at #4 and picked Jared Cowen over Evander Kane, but this is different. The more I think about this pick, the more I like it for Nashville…