Zayne Parekh has the potential to be an elite offensive defenseman. He could give the Jackets a position of real strength.
I really think the sky is the limit for Parekh. In 3 or 4 years, I could see this guy as a point-per-game player in the NHL, not unlike those three defensemen I listed on the last page.
For this reason - as is the case with the other guys - he could be looked back upon as the most valuable defenseman to come out of this draft. It's just going to take some time, patience, and proper development.
The key here is helping him work out the nuances he needs to learn without the puck, while letting him fluorish offensively. Another year in junior certainly won't hurt. Honestly, I could see him taking two years at that level, unless he takes major steps. I wouldn't want to see him getting out-matched physically and breaking his confidence in the NHL.
He will never be a perfect defender, but his skating will allow him to at least hold par in the NHL. And, with the puck on his stick, he's nothing short of dynamic. He sees the ice like an elite level playmaking forward, and he is equally dangerous as a shooter or a passer.
If the Blue Jackets were to walk away from Parekh at the draft, I think that would mean some kind of moves coming within the organization. They would probably end up trading one or more of their defensemen for help somewhere else. And that's a fine plan, if it were to come into play.
With an already impressive pool of young talent, their motto heading into this draft should be to take the best player left available to them at #4 overall. By the time it's all said and done, that could very well wind up being Zayne Parekh.