The Detroit Red Wings were royally screwed in this year’s NHL Draft Lottery, falling to 4th despite owning the worst record by far during the 2019-20 regular season.
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Despite missing out on the chance to draft phenom forward Alexis Lafrienere, the Red Wings will still have a bevy of options available to them when it comes GM Steve Yzerman‘s turn to stroll to the podium.
Let’s take a peek at what the latest round of NHL mock drafts are predicting for Detroit and why. The four names listed? Forwards Marco Rossi, Cole Perfetti and Lucas Raymond, and defensemen Jamie Drysdale.
NHL.com
Adam Kimelman: Marco Rossi. “Rossi plays bigger than his size with a feistiness and competitive level reminiscent of Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux. He willingly goes to the net to produce offense, and his high hockey IQ makes him a solid two-way player who can kill penalties.”
Mike Morreale: Jamie Drysdale. “Drysdale might be the best defenseman available in the draft. The 5-11, 175-pound right-handed shot is capable of driving play with his skating and elite hockey sense.”
Guillaume Lepage: Marco Rossi. “The 18-year-old may give up a few inches to his opponents but still dominated this season. He would be a key addition to the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort at forward.”
Dobberprospects.com: Lucas Raymond
Jokke Nevalainen writes: “Just a high-end offensive talent who can also play a pretty decent defensive game. The Red Wings can really build their roster around him.”
Sportsnet.ca: Cole Perfetti
Sam Cosentino writes: “There are countless ties between Detroit and Perfetti. Most importantly, Perfetti spent the season a short drive away from the Motor City with the Saginaw Spirit, allowing everyone in the organization to get multiple looks as well as get up close and personal to know him away from the rink. He’s equally as impressive a young man as he is a player. For Perfetti, his hockey IQ may be the best in this draft class. His awareness is uncanny. Anticipating a play in neutral ice or jumping the play to earn a breakaway is not uncommon.”
TheDraftAnalyst.com: Marco Rossi
Steve Kournianos writes: “It was unfortunate the Red Wings lost out on a top-three pick despite owning the league’s worst record by a significant margin. Nonetheless, they are far from settling by drafting Rossi – an Austrian-born scoring machine who finished as the OHL’s leading scorer and won the top player award. Rossi’s vision and IQ are off the charts, but he also owns a deadly shot and was one of the league’s better two-way centers. The size thing may seem like a turn off but watching him play and it becomes completely irrelevant.”
TheHockeyWriters.com: Marco Rossi
Tony Wolak writes: “I’m sure a few of you were expecting Lucas Raymond here. It was close, but I ultimately took Marco Rossi over the Swedish playmaker. Rossi’s commitment to the game and overall competitiveness have been compared to that of (Sidney) Crosby. Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider are rink rats, too, which can be infectious, especially when a team’s top players are constantly going above and beyond. Rossi’s elite two-way game, vision, and scoring touch make him No. 1 center material.”
Draftsite.com: Cole Perfetti
Bill Placzek writes: “Strong, skilled smaller center-wing who is always involved in the middle regions of all three zones, in the areas where the pucks frequent. When he steps on the sheet, he easily can be viewed as the smartest player out there, and one that can penetrate and puncture the opposition’s defense and get looks. He wants the puck and uses great balance and strong quads to beat defenders one-on-one, get pucks back and maintain a high pace at both ends.”
TSN.ca: Jamie Drysdale
Craig Button says: “A No. 1 elite, complete, right-shot defenseman. You can build a winner with Jamie Drysdale on your blue line.”
Bleacher Report: Cole Perfetti
MyNHLDraft.com: Marco Rossi
Tankathon.com: Lucas Raymond
– – Quotes via Ansar Khan of MLive Link – –
