Red Wings drop 2 spots, will pick 9th in NHL Draft

[LeftWinger 5,129]

5 hours ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

Picking at number 9? This is a good number to pick at. I like this. 

Hmmmm, imagine that, you liking Number9...GordieHowesNumber...still wondering where Superman fits in...

[Wheelchairsuperhero 1,453]

31 minutes ago, LeftWinger said:

Hmmmm, imagine that, you liking Number9...GordieHowesNumber...still wondering where Superman fits in...

Hmmmm, yes...

[Dabura 12,232]

So I was thinking.

The current narrative is "The Wings must become a team that is hard to play against. To that end, they must get bigger, tougher, more physical."

In terms of forwards, we're actually not necessarily all that far from being "big and hard to play against." In terms of defensemen...well, looking at our top D prospects, it's skill and skating and possession prowess. (Good!)

A part of me wants to live in a reality where Ken Holland has privately gone full mad scientist and is building a Frankenstein's monster: a Godzilla forward group + a Speedy Gonzales defense group.

Klim Kostin, Victor Ejdsell, Givani Smith, Mantha, Nosek, Svechnikov, Abdelkader, Jagr/Hanzal...

Green, Jared Spurgeon, Hronek, Jensen, Hicketts, Cholowski, Saarijarvi...

Crazy? Yes.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

So I was thinking.
The current narrative is "The Wings must become a team that is hard to play against. To that end, they must get bigger, tougher, more physical."
In terms of forwards, we're actually not necessarily all that far from being "big and hard to play against." In terms of defensemen...well, looking at our top D prospects, it's skill and skating and possession prowess. (Good!)
A part of me wants to live in a reality where Ken Holland has privately gone full mad scientist and is building a Frankenstein's monster: a Godzilla forward group + a Speedy Gonzales defense group.
Klim Kostin, Victor Ejdsell, Givani Smith, Mantha, Nosek, Svechnikov, Abdelkader, Jagr/Hanzal...
Green, Jared Spurgeon, Hronek, Jensen, Hicketts, Cholowski, Saarijarvi...
Crazy? Yes.

First, that won't be next year, even if they trade back where Kostin isn't a huge reach. Most of those kids aren't close to NHL ready. Second, big doesn't mean physical and hard to play against.

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[LeftWinger 5,129]

Finesse- Suzuki, Pettersson, Lindgren

Power- Tippett, Hague.

I'm liking Suzuki more and more, if Holland chooses Finesse forward, I hope for Suzuki. Finesse D, Liljegren.

Power forward or D, my choices are well documented.

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

2 minutes ago, LeftWinger said:

Finesse- Suzuki, Pettersson, Lindgren

Power- Tippett, Hague.

I'm liking Suzuki more and more, if Holland chooses Finesse forward, I hope for Suzuki. Finesse D, Liljegren.

Power forward or D, my choices are well documented.

Which one is the biggest?

[Dabura 12,232]

30 minutes ago, DickieDunn said:

First, that won't be next year, even if they trade back where Kostin isn't a huge reach. Most of those kids aren't close to NHL ready. Second, big doesn't mean physical and hard to play against.

Was being facetious.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

Wait, there's actually a player named Suzuki?  I thought this was some bad Taro Tsujimoto joke.  

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Was being facetious.

I'd actually be ok with it on second though. TANK IT BABY!!!!!!!

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[LeftWinger 5,129]

47 minutes ago, GMRwings1983 said:

Wait, there's actually a player named Suzuki?  I thought this was some bad Taro Tsujimoto joke.  

There's a Suzuki and a Yamamoto both in the draft. Either of which would be fine additions to The Wings.

[Dabura 12,232]

52 minutes ago, DickieDunn said:

I'd actually be ok with it on second though. TANK IT BABY!!!!!!!

[Nondescript_D 22]

It's really hard to play against a team that can score a lot of goals.  We needs a top flight center so we can score goals in large quantities

[BobL 28]

It's really easy to beat a team that can't stop you from scoring a lot of goals...

 

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

8 hours ago, BobL said:

It's really easy to beat a team that can't stop you from scoring a lot of goals...

 

So we need a top flight Goalie

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

Elias Pettersson Draft Profile WIIM

Not a huge fan of WIIM by any means, but it seems we may take this kid at #9

Quote

The second-ranked European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Service, Pettersson oozes potential but will need 2-3 years before he’s able to fully realize it.

NHL comparable: Alexander Wennberg, Henrik Zetterberg

Pettersson is a creative playmaker who possesses superb on-ice vision. He’s got that rare, high end skill which can produce highlight reel plays but also has poise and patience with the puck, especially in one-on-one situations. What separates Pettersson from the pack, at least in my eyes, is his complete 200 foot game. At one end of the ice he’s able to make defenders look foolish with the puck on his stick, and in his own zone he’s fantastic at breaking up opposing offenses and getting into shooting lanes. When you see him play it’s very clear that he “thinks the game at a high level”.

Pettersson’s biggest limiting factors are both related to his weight. While he has decent top speed, he isn’t an explosive skater and will need to improve on this as he continues his development. And second, his balance on his skates, particularly when going up against heavier opponents along the boards, could use some improvement as well. Both are areas that should improve as he adds muscle (he’s already added at least 10 pounds since last year).

Right now, he’s relying almost entirely on his stickwork, agility and puck skills to get the job done. I’d say he’s done pretty well for himself, but he could things to another level if he’s able to add more power to his game. If he’s available at 9, I’d be pretty disappointed if the Wings were to pass on him.

 

[RyanBarnes! 293]

I hope Kenny trades up.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Pettersson might be a good pick, but wiim is a glorified fan blog. The real scouting reports I've seen are good though.

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[Nondescript_D 22]

15 hours ago, BobL said:

It's really easy to beat a team that can't stop you from scoring a lot of goals...

 

Really easy?  Yeah...it's a picnic going against a team that can roll three good scoring lines out there. Your 230lb D and F's are going to love chasing after guys they can't keep up with for three periods.

 We need top end C more than we need D.  I like our D prospects...guys like Hronek, Vili and Sambrook.  I'd keep an eye on Holway as well.   If the opportunity arises to come back into the 1st round to snaga guy like Hague..I'd be OK with that.   But I'd much rather go with a C with top six potential at 9

[LeftWinger 5,129]

Z stepped right into the NHL on a fully loaded all-star team. How can he be compared to Z if he needs 2-3 years to develop? Pettersson would be a huge waste of a top 10 pick. 

24 minutes ago, Nondescript_D said:

Really easy?  Yeah...it's a picnic going against a team that can roll three good scoring lines out there. Your 230lb D and F's are going to love chasing after guys they can't keep up with for three periods.

 We need top end C more than we need D.  I like our D prospects...guys like Hronek, Vili and Sambrook.  I'd keep an eye on Holway as well.   If the opportunity arises to come back into the 1st round to snaga guy like Hague..I'd be OK with that.   But I'd much rather go with a C with top six potential at 9

I somewhat agree. I believe we need Tippett more so,  but if he's gone, go with Suzuki. 

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Z stepped right into the NHL on a fully loaded all-star team. How can he be compared to Z if he needs 2-3 years to develop? Pettersson would be a huge waste of a top 10 pick. 

After he played in Sweden a couple years

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[LeftWinger 5,129]

OK, I'll you that, but hank wasn't a top 10 pick either. If we drafted pettersson and his 2-3 years to develop in the 5th round, then cool. But you don't draft someone in the top 10 that needs to develop.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

OK, I'll you that, but hank wasn't a top 10 pick either. If we drafted pettersson and his 2-3 years to develop in the 5th round, then cool. But you don't draft someone in the top 10 that needs to develop.

A lot of guys taken in the 8-10 range need a couple years to develop. A kid who jumps right to the NHL there is the exception, not the norm.

I wouldn't be thrilled with him at 9 either, but because the need is at center and defense, not wing. Unless all the high rated players at those spots are already taken and the highest rated players are all wings, they need to focus on need.

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[Dabura 12,232]

14 minutes ago, DickieDunn said:

I wouldn't be thrilled with him at 9 either, but because the need is at center and defense, not wing. Unless all the high rated players at those spots are already taken and the highest rated players are all wings, they need to focus on need.

Pettersson's a natural centerman who can play wing. Taken together, all of his best qualities scream "centerman's centerman."

Of course, I don't think we should be drafting for need in the first round anyway. We're in the early stages of a rebuild; we need everything. Well, everything except time. We've got lots and lots of time. (I'm not expecting us to become a contender within the next three years. Hoping, but not expecting.)

Personally, I like Pettersson a lot. In terms of pure talent, he's easily in the top ten of this draft class. Dude is just stupid skilled. And, to me, he seems to possess that "special something" which sometimes allows nobodies to smash all limitations and exceed all expectations. And, being a Swedish centerman, he already plays a very mature two-way game.

The concerns: he's extremely thin (for a highly rated hockey prospect in his draft year), he's easily outmuscled, and his skating needs work. I do worry that his effectiveness is fundamentally tied to the bigger European ice surface. A bulked up Pettersson playing on the smaller North American surface and being forced to fight through tight checking on every single shift might be a very different and significantly less effective player than the one we're looking at today and the one we'd hope he becomes.

But I come back to the undeniable fact that he is enormously talented and to my belief that he possesses certain special qualities that simply can't be taught. I would argue he's talented enough -- and his potential is great enough -- that he'd be well worth whatever perceived risk we'd be taking by selecting him ninth overall.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Huh. I thought he was a winter. Them by all means, draft the young man. Watching leftwinger melt down would be hilarious.

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[LeftWinger 5,129]

6 hours ago, DickieDunn said:

Huh. I thought he was a winter. Them by all means, draft the young man. Watching leftwinger melt down would be hilarious.

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I know you're trying to say something, just don't understand that language.