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Just think about the guys that should be the core of our team for the next 12-15 years. Mantha-a sniper, pure goal scorer. Svechnikov-sniper and play maker. Larkin-very good speed, good shooter and passer. AA-very good speed, good shooter average play maker, G Smith-big physical puck retriever with some offensive skill. These are the guys that will become our top 6. They will also fill out of top 2 PP units. What is missing? Front of net. No one else in the entire system can play that role. Adding Tippett doesn't solve that. He is another sniper, which is fine. But then we have to do something dumb like this year when we had to use Mantha and Vanek as the front of net guy, roles that they are not suited for. After Vanek it got worse and we had to use Sheahan! We also used helm and Nyquist in that role. This is why Rasmussen fits our team and the team needs so well. On paper anyway. Look at potential PP units down the road: Unit 1, using a 1-3-1: net front: rasmussen slot: Mantha RH wing: Larkin LH wing: Sproul/Russo Point: DD Unit 2, using a 1-3-1: net front: Smith Slot: Svechnikov RH wing: AA LH wing: Jensen/Cholowski Point: Lindstrom Those are not bad units based on potential. Now if Tippett was our choice we lack a net from guy and we take one of the wings out of the lineup. With him being a RHed shot it would be one of the Sproul/Russo or Jensen/Cholowski pairs.

Does Mantha look as good as anyone picked ahead of him in his draft? Sure does to me... The point is you don't know. The Wings wanted to get bigger and that's what they did. Ras could be the biggest steal at 9 or he could be a bust. We don't know.

People are trying to justify the Rasmussen pick because he's a "great net front presence". You don't draft a net front guy with your first top 10 pick in a quarter century. You pick the best player available. In the opinion of 95% of scouts, that would be Vilardi. If we're in such desperate need for a massive player that can bang in rebounds and play net front on the power-play, we could have very easily picked him beyond the first round. We could have even traded up in the 2nd and taken Ratcliffe who is a very similar type player. Rasmussen, may end up being a very good player, but there's a reason we're being viewed by many as "1st round draft losers". No one is saying they know how these kids will turn out, just that on draft day, there were better options available. Anyway, like I said before, Rasmussen is a Wing now, so I'm going to root him on like I do every other player in the organization, but I would have been much more pleased with this draft overall if we had taken any of the handful other guys that were available, rather than big Ras.

This is why I think Rasmussen was the right choice. The Wings organization has made the decision to change the make up of their team. To get bigger and be a more physical type of team. You don't draft a sniper over a 6'6" goal scoring center when this is the way you want your team to look now. All of their picks were big and fit into this new image, this new type of team. A player like Tippett does not. As Coach Herb Brooks said when he was building the U.S. 1980 Olympic hockey team: "I'm not looking for the best players - I'm looking for the right ones."

But no articles have said he's ONLY a netfront guy. That's what I was saying. He seems to have been reduced to such. Also, how did you turn "uses his size advantage" into a negative? That must be a first on LGW.com. 6'6" will always be big and if he's 221 at age 18, he could be one of the biggest forwards in the league - especially in any top 6 - if he gets there. He's already big than most power forward types like Simmonds, Benn, Carter. Maybe OV and Wheeler are a bit heavier right now... He'll still have a size advantage if he learns how to use it in the NHL. If all he had was size than it wouldn't mean much, but - watching highlights (and reading other places than LGW - I get the impression of more skilled guy - that was my point. And he's not manhandling people or doing the pile-on for netfront goals. He seems to have good hands in tight. I recommend watching a bunch of the footage of him on youtube, if haven't already. Finally, he was on pace for 43 goals when he broke his arm - I suspect it'd be a different reaction to drafting him if we were looking at that number. Anyway, I've said my piece on him - just arguing for a more balanced view. I'm out for a few days.

GUYS Holland lost his future 4th line center in Nosek to Vegas. Drafting Rasmussen was the fastest way to replace him. Make a little more sense now? Good, everyone calm your ****

Ummmm, yes he is, based on what both did. Sent from my LGLS676 using Tapatalk

Straight from the horse's mouth. They took him cause of character, plain and simple. It's funny, at one point Wright even says "and even if he's not producing offensively, at least he's hard to play against". Haha. First round pick gents. A guy with good character who may be hard to play against. Glendenning and Miller have great character too. Surprised they didn't go first round.

I mean... even if he turned out to be exactly Holmstrom. Is that a bad thing? Hes not a franchise guy, but our team could reealllly use a prime Holmstrom mucking it up in the greasy areas.

I cant stand everyone bitching that we messed up with this draft!! You cannot tell until years down the road!!! What if our 1st round pick scores 40 goals his first year in the league, will you still be bitching??? Lets see how it pans out before we keep bitching over and over!!!!

Do you honestly think Tippet is going to "win awards"? over McDavid, Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane? And with the new generation will he win awards over McDavid and Patrick Laine? You're out of your mind.

Rasmussen is the type of player you take when you have a specific need. When you're rebuilding you need to try to find a higher end player even if you need to take a chance on a book or bust prospect, not a guy who projects as having a ceiling of a second line player. Sent from my LGLS676 using Tapatalk

Rasmussen was 3rd in the fitness test of all the players in the draft. I liked hearing that, it means he's willing to work hard.

Lol!

Skating has become as important as speed in this league. And so has special teams . YEAH RAM

What position is Tippett? Vilardi? Neither will be C's in the NHL. Yes we could have went D instead. I would have been very happy with Foote and less happy with others. I would have been happy with Tippett as well. But I don't believe he is better than Rasmussen either. Different players. They play a different game. We have snipers-like Tippett and have 0 front of net guys like Rasmussen. We all have been complaining-to include yourself about taking to many 50ft shots with no one there to bang home the rebounds. Now we have someone to do it.

Pretty liberal use of the term huge, but also way missing the point. Sure, a swing of 126 shots seems like a big deal, and all else being equal it is. But it should not outweigh the importance of how well you perform against the 3400 shots still coming at you. Even the very best possession teams spend close to half the game playing defense. Some people act like playing defense slightly less is more important than playing defense better. It isn't. And furthermore, Rasmussen by most accounts has a skillset that should fit well with a possession system. Strong with the puck, good in the corners and behind the net, effective forechecker, decent skater, capable passer, solid defensively. So this whole argument is largely moot.

Since Kip mentioned the Mantha comparison, I thought it be interesting to look at how he and Rasmussen compare at the same point of their careers. Here's their first 2 years in the CHL: Mantha Rasmussen 63gp,22g,51p 63gp,18g,43p 67gp,50g,89p 50gp,32g,55p (= to 67gp 43g, 74p) I don't think this reflects so badly on Ras. You could make this comparison more favourable for Rasmussen if you consider that Mantha was in the QMHL, which is acknowledged as a higher scoring league than the WHL. I doubt anyone was expecting some of Mantha's caliber since this was known to be a weak draft, but I just thought I'd look it up. Of course this is only looking at points not skill set. Anyway, I'm not incredibly high on this choice, but I don't think people should be as low on him as this thread suggests.

You're making an argument for no reason. Ericsson is as skilled as he's ever going to be. He probably won't get any better. But he could play more physical. He can control that.

Maybe! Probably! Definitely not! Who knows? Time will tell. Lets be positive, folks. Accept it or not, the people in charge of this team are smarter than you.

I understand when people have their own favs, but not sure why the hate for a guy that has yet to play a pro hockey game. Many keep talking about his lack of skill. Not sure where that comes from. I don't read every scouting report but I do read several. Not one said he sucked. I have been following the draft for 20+ years and over that time there are some specific sites/scouts that I have grown to trust. That being said here is the scouting reports for our last 5 1st round picks from the scout I trust the most. You tell me were he is wrong: Mantha Tall left winger with physicality and scoring prowess, as well as willingness to stick up for his teammates. A physical presence in the Q that has elevated himself into the first round by playing well in each outing. He missed the cut-off to the 2012 draft by one-day, and in 2011-12 has a respectable 22 goals and 51 points in the QMJHL. Increased that to reach the 50 goal plateau this season. He does come with a little concern that he can play uninvovled and unwilling to do much of the dirty work on the back check to unearth pucks. No one wants to start placing labels on junior scorer who come off lacking enthusiasm and full game commitment, but you have to wonder if it leads to his fall down the slottings. Larkin Two-way player at the centre position who displays excellent balance and jump all over the 200 foot sheet. Sees the ice well and makes plays in the offensive zone with both skill and grit. Plays strong on the puck and shows some snarl in the battle zones. Displays soft hands and sets up a whole lot of chances for his linemates. Very responsible in his defensive zone. Smart and aware on the attack, and deceptively quick. Svechnikov Big bodied Russian import who hands and feet can at times make him a dominant player in games. Has a good shot and feet. Possesses a big frame that has room for more weight. A member of his homeland’s team roster for the World Junior Under-20 at Christmas 2014. Cholowski Four way skating defender who has seemed to go from a tiny midget defenseman into a six foot elite skating offenseman. Calm, confident and aware from his end all the way up to the attack zone. Plays on both the PK and the PP where his vision and elusiveness already make him a strong competitor. He will continue to work on strengthening his shot and over all physicality in the weight room. He started at 5’ 8” and projects to be 6’ 3”. Committed to St. Cloud State University. Rasmussen Large competitive two-way centreman with skill and good feet. A gritty, naturally strong player with mobility who wins most board scrums. He is a dominant player in the front and below the goal line. A mobile skater who is difficult to contain or move; he wins puck battles and scores. Intriguing prospect with upside offensively: difficult to contain, and effective vision and passing skills. Owns the front of the net on the power play. He might look for the pass over shooting, but he protects the biscuit well. Has an upright skating stride but gets there and shows jam when he greets you. His combination of power and skill is at the high end of this draft class, even though you might hope he would show a bit more effort all sixty minutes. A raw talent who may end up being the best player out of the West. Do any of those scouting reports saw player X sucks? Or do those reports sound pretty spot on? I think those reports are pretty spot on and based on years of following and trusting this scout I tend to believe his evaluations. Now others may disagree which is fine. But rasmussen is going to be a good player for us, same as Mantha, Larkin, soon Svechnikov and Cholowski (the 1 guy I totally disagreed with at the time).

I honestly think some of you hate Holland more than you like the Red Wings. You would rather see these guys fail, and be right about Holland, than have these guys excel and have a successful team built by Holland.

First, I'd like to say everyone dumping on Holland and saying he's an "idiot" or whatever need to understand he's not making these decisions entirely by himself. These draft picks are the collective input from scouts, coaches, staff, ownership, etc. Some of you act like Holland is just ignoring the voices of reason and doing whatever he wants. Ultimately, he makes the decision, but he's making these decisions based on the input from a lot of other people. Second, while there are players I would have rather drafted in the first round, I have to give him credit for going against the grain. Back in the 90's, everyone looks for high octane offensive minded players and we went with speedy two way guys. Since we were pretty much the only team going in that direction, we had our pick of pretty much anyone we wanted. Today, the game has changed and there are a lot of teams drafting those types of players, trying to replicate that success. There's also a lot of teams shifting their defensemen to be more offensive minded puck moving, speedsters. After watching this draft, the Wings are clearly moving towards being a bigger, more physical team, which kind of makes sense. Most teams are not built the way the Wings are apparently going to be built now. Its a copycat league and if everyone is building their team to be fast, who's going to handle these big forwards standing in front of the net? Who's going to be strong enough to get the puck off our power forwards? Maybe this will end up not being the best idea and it won't work, but I'm going to give Holland and the rest of the front office decision makers credit for trying to do something different. Nobody ever got ahead by being like everyone else.

And it's not like Howard had a sore groin and missed time. Jensen barreled into him very awkwardly any goalie would have been hurt in that situation

Osgood is tied 3rd all-time in goals at his position. It's baffling he isn't already in