Dabura

Rest assured: he's played against pretty much everyone there is to play against and he's consistently produced and impressed. http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/jack-hughes-nhl-draft-2019-world-junior-championship/nt8oxhtf6zns11k4dlrwokofu

Pretty hard to deny his appeal. Big body, shoots right, lethal shot, great speed, plays a new-age power-forward game -- basically, a Wings fan's dream. I'm not sure he's going to be a centerman at the NHL level, but even if he isn't, there's so much potential there. The only concern I have with him is that the advantages he has over his peers -- the size, the speed, the shot -- are making life easy for him at the junior level and probably inflating his numbers a bit. At the pro level, he won't be bigger and stronger and faster than everyone. I don't feel he's got especially good hockey IQ and I don't feel he's an especially great playmaker, so there's a part of me that worries he could be another Athanasiou. But, I mean, I have concerns with every player not named Hughes or Kakko, so don't take this as me trying to kill the Cozens HYPE!

Different strengths, I suppose. Cozens is an elite skater in the way AA is an elite skater -- effortless power in his long strides, great acceleration, great straight-line speed, great top speed. With Hughes, it's more about edges, agility, quickness, elusiveness. Hughes skates like he's floating on air. It's crazy. I timestampted the following videos so when you click on them they'll start at the skating sections:

That's the way I'd go, but lately I'm wondering how much more losing the brass is willing to put up with. We shall see.

I'm starting to think we might not have to wait two or three years to see some weaknesses addressed, because I'm not sure the Wings brass is willing to wait two or three more years. We've got a new arena and fan enthusiasm is at a 25-year low. The Red Wings/Hockeytown brand is taking a beating. We have an exciting new captain who needs and deserves a better supporting cast. If Yzerman is brought in this summer, it won't be so he can sit on his hands and maintain the status quo. If Holland stays, well, Devellano has basically stated that he and Holland are impatient people. If we get Hughes or Kakko, I could see that being the catalyst for big changes in an attempt to get back into the playoffs next season. If we don't get Hughes or Kakko, I could see the brass being bitterly disappointed and going the "outside the box" route to speed up the rebuild. tl;dr Changes could be coming sooner than we think.

Absolutely agree about getting another 1st. Early-mid 2nds could also be huge. I'm really feeling like this could be a "quantity over quality" draft where the smartest GM on the draft floor could be the one who owns a pick in the 3-10 range and doesn't feel he needs to pick in that range. That's sort of what I was getting at when I listed eight players I'd happily take 3rd overall. If I own the #3 pick, I'm probably looking to see if I can't find a trade-down deal that gets me a later 1st -- let's say #9 -- and a pick or two, or maybe a good prospect. I'm also with you on this draft class being short on exciting defensemen. ...And yet, if we come away with Byram/Broberg and a guy like Mikko Kokkonen or Thomas Harley? Then all of a sudden I feel pretty damn good about the future of our D.

It's still the Jack Hughes Draft [TSN]

Oops, posted the above in the wrong thread.

It's still the Jack Hughes Draft [TSN]

I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice... Datsyuk... ... ... ...is lazy and he sucks.

Fair enough. The point I'm making about Veleno is that it isn't just the stats. It's the overall package. But, I mean, it's your right to feel the way you want to feel about him and I totally get not wanting to set your expectations too high. I think there's reason to be excited about him, but I've been wrong before... [stares off into the distance] No hard feelings, my dude. Sometimes I pick fights over nothing. This probably counts as one of those times. lol

I'm not saying he needs to be super fast. I'm saying his body was starting to fail him when he left the NHL and now it's two years later and the NHL's gotten younger and faster and the Wings are rebuilding and getting younger and faster and we've gone through this whole drama with saying goodbye to Zetterberg and preparing to say goodbye to Kronwall and now we're talking about bringing back a 90-year-old Datsyuk who's gonna be injured for three quarters of the season. I'm really not seeing the appeal here beyond "It's Datsyuk! (Let's parade his corpse around! This is how I want to remember him!)" I give a s***. He signed a contract and he bailed on it. Fedorov was a different situation; he'd served out his contract and chose to sign a new contract with a different organization. Datsyuk didn't leave in free agency, he left while still under contract. Holland had to trade his cap hit. I think Fedorov's number should be retired. My understanding is Marian Ilitch doesn't feel the same way, and I'd say her opinion counts for something. But Kronwall's knee IS a factor and he ISN'T putting up 40 points. Similarly, Datsyuk isn't the player he was when he left. And this team isn't the team it was when he left. And this rebuild wasn't even a thing when he left. I've seen him play post-NHL retirement. I don't think it's worth bringing him back. I don't think it makes any sense. Fortunately, this is all probably bulls***, like you said. I really doubt it goes anywhere.

HYPE! https://www.nhl.com/standings/2018/league LGRW!

He received exceptional status exemption and entered the QMJHL as a 15 year old. First player in QMJHL history to get that exemption, in fact. That's why he'll be AHL-eligible next season, as a 19 year old. http://thepinkpuck.com/2014/09/09/age-eligibility-in-minor-league-hockey/ "Any player already playing for a team in the CHL when he is drafted will be ineligible to play for the minor professional leagues until he is 20 (by December 31st of that season) or has played four seasons in the CHL." Just saying. Veleno's a really good prospect. He's at least as good as Rasmussen was at his age, and Rasmussen cracked the lineup one year after he was drafted. Maybe things go sideways for him. Maybe he doesn't amount to anything. But I'm choosing to expect good things from him, because I don't see any reasons not to.

I'm not necessarily saying he'll be a dominant pro right away, I'm just saying all the signs point to him having a shorter Griffins career than the average Wings prospect. Typically a Wings prospect has one or two key areas they need to drastically improve before they get serious consideration for full-timer status, and typically it takes them a couple of years on the farm to sort that all out. Veleno's ahead of the standard curve in most areas, so I don't really see any reason to assume it'll be a while before he gets to the NHL. I'd say a year at most. I could be wrong, of course. 41 years old (in July)! Slow! Hasn't played NHL hockey in two years! Bailed on the team and f***ed off to Russia! Is part of the old leadership group that we're so close to being done with! Why is this even a thing?!

Had an impressive training camp in the fall Made the Canadian WJC team Has been torching the QMJHL Outstanding skater The rare teenage forward who scores a ton while also playing a pretty good 200-foot game 6'1-195ish I'm with krsmith: I don't think he's going to spend the standard 2 years in Grand Rapids. He's a much better prospect than we're used to having in the pipeline, roughly comparable to the player Larkin was at his age.

He was really starting to show his age in his final couple of seasons with the Wings. That was several years ago. Unless we're planning on launching an all-out assault on the league and loading up for a record-setting 2020 Cup run, I've less than zero interest in bringing Datsyuk back.

No Datsyuk reunion tour plz, especially if there's the potential for weirdness in the locker room. Let's not forget that Datsyuk basically bailed on this team. This is Larkin's team now. Let him officially take over next season. Wave goodbye to Kronwall and conclude the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Kronwall chapter of this franchise's history. No geriatric retreads. Move forward.

You joke, but...

Pipe dream HYPE!!!

How's this for rosterbation material: >Wings get Zegras in the top five >Wings then get Krebs in the 12-15 range with an additional 1st that Holland pulled out of his magic hat or something >Wings still have, like, eight picks left (Won't happen. But a man can dream.)

I don't put too much stock in "tiers," but, like I've said before, I do feel Hughes and Kakko are far and away your best shots at getting a gamechanger. Putting people into tiers is just a convention for expressing the idea that you think certain players are more likely to be special players. I like Zegras a lot and some days I feel he's the third-best player in this draft class. I think it's entirely possible he becomes a really great player...and I also think it's entirely possibly he becomes merely a good player. Can't blame you or anyone for looking for the next Pettersson. And I'd be lying if I said it's not something I think about. It's one of the reasons I love Krebs: I see some Zetterberg in him and, in my mind, I can imagine him flying under the radar (he's playing on a bad team, which is hurting his numbers) and then taking the NHL by storm.

FWIW...

Burn it. Burn it to the ground.