Is this the year?

[Doggy 130]

James Wright in the first 1st, and then we pick Luke Adam in the 2nd or 3rd round. He's a huge Wings fan, a good young guy, size and all of that. Doesnt hurt that I grew up next to him and know him personally .

I don't really know anything about this guy. What makes you say we'll get him? What's he like?

I'm just gonna put this out there - if Erik Karlsson is still available I guarantee we'll take him. I think he'll go late in the first round but probably before #30. Here's hoping he doesn't.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

I don't really know anything about this guy. What makes you say we'll get him? What's he like?

Physical, strong, can score goals and skate. Why I htink we'd get him? Well, in the past couple of years the Wings have taken a couple of Canadians in the later rounds, plus they've already had alot of sucess with one Newfie, another couldnt hurt.

[Barrie 900]

Christ, here we go with this crap again. We just won the friggin cup with a mostly European team but we need more physical North Americans!

We don't want any more of those soft Europeans like Zetterburg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Frazen. Just pick a phyisical North American.

Sometimes I wonder why I read these forums

Yea we busted that type of thinking this year.

I hope when our pick comes up, we pick who we think is the best player at that time. Never mind picking positions, who's the best available.

[Z and D for the C 712]

Thread title reminds me of those crappy "Is this the year?" ads the NHL ran. I had to watch the parody on YouTube just now. Thanks much, OP.

Haha, I just watched that. It was great at the end when miller was like "10 years from now?"

Good stuff

Edited June 9, 2008 by Z and D for the C

[joshy207 156]

I think they'll stick to organizational philosophy and simply draft the player they deem as the best available guy at #30. Regardless of position.

Agreed. They'll be flexible with this pick. If they do lean in any direction, it may be towards a college player so they have (potentially) a couple extra years to let him develop. They could also deal the pick if there's a team that wants to trade up.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

I don't get the impression that the Wings care much about need. Obviously nobody they pick is going to make the big club any time soon. 3 years, minimum - that's how long ago Helm, Abdelkader, and Ritola were drafted and they're just now breaking on the scene. At #30 you just take the best player available.

Or trade it for depth. I can totally see Holland moving that pick for a couple of picks a little later.

If were going to talk about adding a decent offensive player, there won't be too much drop between the 30 pick and say the 40-48th.

[Grim 5]

draft a darn forward will ya Kenny!!

despite your penchant for well-seasoned D, we've got a glut of upcoming defensive talent. pretty soon you'll have to start sloughing some of that young D off just for roster room.

[Opie 308]

Yes and with the severe lack of depth at forward under the age of 30.......

Oh wait, nevermind.

Lets not forget the 'OLD' Red Wings label doesn't really fit anymore

forwards <30 next season:

Z

Cleary

Flip

Mule

Huds

Helm

Kopecky

Hartigan

forwards >30:

Dats

Sammy

Homer

Draper

Matlby

Plus you have Abdelkader, Leino.

[JeeSpot82 10]

Or trade it for depth. I can totally see Holland moving that pick for a couple of picks a little later.

If were going to talk about adding a decent offensive player, there won't be too much drop between the 30 pick and say the 40-48th.

Excellent point. It's interesting because the Coyotes have three picks between 35 and 39. Obviously, I don't think they'd get rid of all three to scoot up a half-dozen picks, but if there's a guy they REALLY like floating around at 30, they may get rid of two of them, or a third rounder or whatever. In total, they have 7 picks in the first 100. They're a prime target to do some board maneuvering.

They have the following picks:

8. Their first round pick

35. Compensatory for failing to sign first round selection Blake Wheeler

38. Traded from Toronto for Yanic Perreault and a fifth round pick

39. Their second round pick

69. Their third round pick

90. Traded from Pittsburgh with Daniel Carcillo for Georges Laraque

100. Their fourth round pick

[Texas Wingnut 0]

Get the best player available. Position, nationality don't matter. Can he play the game or not? That's what matters.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Yes and with the severe lack of depth at forward under the age of 30.......

Oh wait, nevermind.

Lets not forget the 'OLD' Red Wings label doesn't really fit anymore

forwards <30 next season:

Z

Cleary

Flip

Mule

Huds

Helm

Kopecky

Hartigan

Plus you have Abdelkader, Leino.

Of all those players the only potential rookies next season are Helm, Abdelkader and Leino. Neither Helm nor Abdelkader project as scoring forwards at the NHL level. They're both 21, so I'll give you that they're young. Leino's a completely unknown as far as the NA game goes but he could be a goal scorer.

Here's the Org's stock of scoring forward prospects:

Jan Mursak (age 20)

Cory Emmerton (age 20)

Dick Axelsson (age 21)

Ville Leino (age 24)

Mattias Ritola (age 21)

Evan McGrath (age 22)

Of those kids we know that Ritola and McGrath have struggled to put up impressive offensive numbers in the AHL. Mursak and Emmerton have had good season in the OHL and will hopefully start scoring when they make it to the AHL full-time next year. Axelsson and Leino are unproven commodities in the NA game.

The Wings need proven scoring prospect far more than they need more defensive prospects- they've got tons of defensive gems coming up the pipeline. Will they ignore defense this draft? Of course not, but I'm simply saying they should focus more on proven scorers this one draft.

[Opie 308]

Of all those players the only potential rookies next season are Helm, Abdelkader and Leino. Neither Helm nor Abdelkader project as scoring forwards at the NHL level. They're both 21, so I'll give you that they're young. Leino's a completely unknown as far as the NA game goes but he could be a goal scorer.

Here's the Org's stock of scoring forward prospects:

Jan Mursak (age 20)

Cory Emmerton (age 20)

Dick Axelsson (age 21)

Ville Leino (age 24)

Mattias Ritola (age 21)

Evan McGrath (age 22)

Of those kids we know that Ritola and McGrath have struggled to put up impressive offensive numbers in the AHL. Mursak and Emmerton have had good season in the OHL and will hopefully start scoring when they make it to the AHL full-time next year. Axelsson and Leino are unproven commodities in the NA game.

The Wings need proven scoring prospect far more than they need more defensive prospects- they've got tons of defensive gems coming up the pipeline. Will they ignore defense this draft? Of course not, but I'm simply saying they should focus more on proven scorers this one draft.

You can get proven scorers from the draft? Really?

Proven NHL goal scorers in the draft?

Too bad Dan Cleary did adhere to that philosphy, the top 10 draft picks may give you 2-3 can't miss prospects the rest is a crap shoot!

[Drake_Marcus 890]

You can get proven scorers from the draft? Really?

Proven NHL goal scorers in the draft?

Too bad Dan Cleary did adhere to that philosphy, the top 10 draft picks may give you 2-3 can't miss prospects the rest is a crap shoot!

And any other quality of a drafted player is a sure thing? You draft a player for their strengths and hope it translates over. If a player scored bunches of goals in junior he's more likely to score them in the NHL too. Guess what- Dan Cleary did eventually adhere to that philosphy- hence he was able to put up back to back 20 goal seasons for the Wings. Did I say kids who score in the minors automatically score in the NHL? No I didn't. But I'll say this- scorers in the NHL were scorers predraft in 99.9% of the cases. Even Franzen was a scorer as a kid before being played exclusively on the checking line on his later Swedish teams.

What do you advocate then? Draft a D-man because he's more likely to not surprise you? BS. A skilled forward is no less or more likely to make the NHL than a skilled D-man. The difference is we have cupboards full of great defensive prospects, checking and character forwards. There are very few scoring prospects in the Red Wings system. So, as a result I suggested that the Wings look for kids with real scoring talent in the draft.

Pointing out that being a scorer pre-draft doesn't always translate to the NHL is as pointless as it is obvious. I never said drafting a proven scorer from the OHL means you get a proven scorer in the NHL. But I'll tell you this much- a kid that scores 40 in the OHL is a hell of a lot more likely to score 20 in the NHL than a kid that struggled to put up 5 in the OHL but plays a strong checking game.

I never, at anypoint failed to recognize the inherent uncertainty in drafting so there's zero point in pointing out the obvious. If you're afraid a kid won't keep growing along the same path he's been on all his hockey career then how the hell do you draft? What's the point of scouting these kids and looking at their past achievements if you can't put some stock in those achievements?

Edit: Grammer.

Edited June 11, 2008 by Drake_Marcus

[Opie 308]

Do you really want me to list all of the "Proven" Junior scorers that busted and turned into nothing?

The wings need to draft nothing! What is so difficult to understand about that?

What I would like to see them do is draft the best player in front of them when it is their turn to draft.

They have a log jam at Defense, well it isn't exactly a free flowing river at forward either now is it?

There are currently how many forward spots on this roster?

So of those three potential rookies, how many are still going to be potential rookies after this season.

The current roster dictates need, future roster is not a need. They draft what is the best player in front of them, if they think the best player available is a d-man than they know a whole hell of a lot more about that than any of us do.

Draft picks aren't always about what are they going to do for this roster, if the wings bundle up two young prospects to trade for a decent forward who can play immediately as a checker (Drake type role) than those draft picks were well used.

Every year the Wings draft forwards and defensemen, what makes you think this will change this year, some guys are proven scorers and turn in to nothing while other late round throw away picks turn into Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Holmstrom.

Look at their past, they drafted Kronwall high, Hudler high, they will draft what they think to be the best there.

But needing to draft a proven scorer, as you said, would indicate that they need a scorer on the roster, otherwise it is a draft pick that will play and develop in GR.

They are not looking to draft Stamkos or Crosby or Kane or Toews. No one they draft will impact this roster for about 2 years, at least. So those are not needs!!!

The draft is a crap shoot!

EDIT: Then you add to the fact that the wings had a shot a two, landed one, highly touted prospects before the draft even occurred.

Edited June 12, 2008 by Opie