Who Will The Red Wings Draft Friday? We Take a Guess (+)

It’s white-knuckle time for the Detroit Red Wings, along with the rest of the NHL going into the draft.

The hours before the start of the annual NHL entry draft, which begins Friday, are packed with meetings, last-second double-checks, and no shortage of finger-crossing.

Prospects have been evaluated and interviewed almost to a fare-thee-well, and with only a few exceptions, teams expect to hold their breath for a year or two to see if their educated guesses ring true.

The draft isn’t the only reason for this queasy season; free agency begins on Sunday.

Success in both is paramount. The Red Wings are a perfect example. General manager Steve Yzerman, by appearances, has drafted well, but his forays into free agency? Not so much. 

And the draft has no guarantees. 

Guys come from late rounds (Tom Brady, Tarik Skubal) in other sports. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk were late-r0und draft stars in Detroit, but that’s not the way it works, in general.

And there is the draft itself.

The Red Wings are drafting 13th, one spot behind the New York Rangers. Until this week, when the Pittsburgh Penguins got the pick in a trade. Who knows what that has done to the Red Wings’ plans?