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I think at this point its fair to say they are not just "3rd liners". Maybe that's what these players were in the past, but the Marchessault/Karlson/Smith is one of the best in the NHL. If Florida doesn't botch the expansion draft, they don't have this top line, and they likely don't come close to be as good as they are. There is also that coach they have....where is he from again? Oh Florida. Then you add in Anaheim's flub with Theodore and Columbus not seeing Karlson for what he was and you have a Stanley Cup contender.

That’s true they were gonna take Nosek regardless. He looks good on their 4th line with Reaves and Bellmare. He always takes the puck hard to the net. As for the Vegas roster half their team didn’t do much of anything in their previous seasons. Sure they got a lot of depth but no one knew that some of these guys were going to take the extra ice time and thrive. Most these guys were slated to be career 3rd liners. There’s a lot more going into their success than the expansion draft set up. Anyways I’m glad they don’t suck. This league doesn’t need to produce more teams worse than or equal to Arizona.

Kindl was drafted from Kitchener in the OHL, and was the 18th ranked NA skater. There were a few players ranked higher who were still available, but all of them ended up being even worse. I don't doubt that you never liked him (though if his name was Jacob Kendall...), but they were not "bypassing the better player" in drafting him. That's just hindsight talking. In Button's latest mock draft, he ranks them: Hughes 5th, Bouchard 6th, Dobson 7th, Boqvist 10th. You a Hughes guy now? If you look around enough, I'm sure you could find an expert ranking them in any order you want. All four of them have elite potential, and there is no consensus on which is the best choice, though people will act like there was when their favorite isn't picked. Hughes and Boqvist are probably better defensively than most would give them credit for, and Bouchard probably not as good. Hughes is the best skater, and probably best playmaker. Bouchard the most NHL-ready, probably the best shooter. Dobson the best all-around game, best defense, but maybe lowest offensive potential. Boqvist probably the best overall offensive skill, least developed, but 7-10 months younger than the others. Might have been next year's Dahlin if he'd been born a month later. We should all be happy with any one of them.

Very selective examples here. You mention these 4 former 1st rounders as reasons why Holland can't draft. 1. All were drafted prior to 2011, back when the team was more competitive. All 4 were in the bottom half of the first round (19th, 27th, 30th, 21st). We all know that these guys are bigger risks. It's not like Holland missed on a top ten pick here. 2. 3 out of the 4 played significant time in the NHL, so they weren't "flops" or "busts", despite your narratives. 3. Sheahan is still in the league as a serviceable 3C at only a 1.05 mil salary. Not bad for a guy that everyone predicted as a bottom 6 F even before he was drafted. 4. You conveniently left out all of the 1st round draft picks since 2010. Rasmussen (9th), Cholowski (20th), Svechnikov (19th), Larkin (15th), and Mantha (20th). All of whom either are, or will become, major parts of this team's rebuild - Literally every 1st rounder drafted since Sheahan. Not one "bust". But I guess they don't fit the Anti-Holland agenda so they weren't mentioned.

Are you braindead? The expansion draft was clearly in their favor and gifted them all rock solid 1st liners. Everyone knew it. NHL is a joke.

So the picks that Nill made that are bad, you say: "Says a lot about GM Hollands decision making capabilities that he let his Assistant make the first round picks during a time when they were scarce for Detroit." When he makes picks that are good, you say: "guess it could also be even worse if Nill wasn't there to draft the late round gems that kept the team in contention." it doesnt matter the outcome or the situation, you will always put a negative slant on it to make Holland look bad. Your bias is ridiculous. Holland has made mistakes, no doubt. But you can't say that every trade he loses is his fault, every trade he wins is because of the other GM, every good draft pick is because he assistants did it, every bad pick is on him because he is GM. Do you seriously not see the bias?

Never got to see him, sadly. Like you, I'm really intrigued by him. Seems like there should be more buzz around him than there is, yeah? Put up pretty good numbers for a 17-year-old 1C on a weak team. Decent size. Shoots right. I've read he's a tireless worker all over the ice (plays that 200-foot game) and he can be electric with the puck on his stick. With that kind of profile, you'd expect him to be taken before 30th/31st overall. But maybe the lack of buzz in the media speaks to a lack of buzz among amateur scouts and their respective NHL organizations -- i.e. maybe he's available at 30th or 31st, or maybe even the top of the 2nd round. I'd thought for sure Brandon Carlo would go in the 1st round (2015), but he ended up being selected 37th. Seems there's a Carlo or two or three every year...and this is an unusually deep draft.... (*fingers crossed for multiple sleeper gems falling to the Wings next month*)

All guys drafted after Nill took the GM job in Dallas and Holland hired Tyler Wright as Director of Amatuer Scouting.

I wouldn't call Dobson a sleeper. For months he's been right with Bouchard/Hughes/Boqvist in the 2nd tier of defensemen. He's the most complete package of the four right now: size, speed, best defensively, solid offense. There's some question about his offensive potential in the NHL though. Translation: The fuse is lit. Prepare for the inevitable explosion.

Just because they would be first liners on our team, doesn't mean that they'd be first liners on an NHL team.

remember when Holland drafted Kindl in the 1st round? This is what I'm afraid of. Him bypassing the better player again. But, if he and his scouts feel Hughes is the way to go, ok. Please just don't draft a player with injury issues...

Ya, and then I couldn't root for him because I said "same old kenny..."

Now that would be legendary. But Kenny would start to hate him for making Jimmy look bad.

We did get Rybar. Maybe he'll take the #1 job. He is probably already better than Jimmy.

I’m sorry but that intro is too corny. The building has the atmosphere of a Florida water park

No. Franzen was a lazy floater. CTE had nothing to do with it. He never would have been better than Hossa even with a healthy brain. He is and always will be a Bumb. Yzerman clearly didn't know him at all when he gave the "Mule" nickname. He clearly didn't know what hard work was.

Calling it now: I think the Wings get a perennial 30 goal scorer and a legit top 2 d-man in this draft. They are due for some draft luck and with 8 picks in the first three rounds I think they hit on a couple at least.

I like this guy.

Here's a fun fact. In the 2004 entry draft the first player selected by the Wings was Franzen. 3rd round. 97th overall. This year they'll pick 7 times before selection 97 and their 8th pick is at 98. How can you not be excited about that? Edit: spelling

As long as the goals are added through youth and not more veteran UFA signings, all is well. Goalies on one year contracts should become the norm until a prospect is ready to jump in and give the team the chance to win most nights.

I'm really hoping we can snag Ty Dellandrea with one of our picks (30-36). I have a feeling he may be gone before then though... @Dabura have you seen much of him in Flint or World Juniors to give an opinion? I've read pretty much every article / scouting report and watched every video on him, but have never seen him play live...

It isn't true. The Wings did not sign a player to an NHL contract, pay a $92,500 signing bonus plus $70,000 minor league salary, and bring him over from Europe just to f*** with the guy and not play him. Machovsky is an idiot. Probably why he didn't get more games. As has already been said, the Wings want to have 5 goalies, plus one usually on a minor league deal for Toledo. That's exactly what they did last year. The guy ******* about it and now we're actually going to entertain the idea that it was a mistake to not sign someone s***tier than McCollum to give this diva less competition. So he had to start in Toledo. Cry less and work more. That's what Coreau did and a few years later he was starting the Centennial Classic. He could possibly be our backup next season. Several NHL goalies spent time in the ECHL. Jonathan Quick spent most of his first pro year in the ECHL, but instead of crying and going home, he stuck it out then won a couple Stanley Cups. Machovsky will never sniff the NHL. He's the last person Rybar should be taking advice from.

Blashill is still here so don't worry we'll suck next year