Detroit Red Wings fans continue to be frustrated with the results of last night’s NHL Draft Lottery that saw the Red Wings drop to 4th despite having the worst overall record.
Red Wings radio broadcaster Ken Kal appeared on Pat Caputo‘s radio show on 97.1 The Ticket to offer his immediate reaction to the results, and it was clear that he was sharing in the fans’ disappointment.
“I was disappointed, I thought that the Red Wings would get either the first or second pick,” he said. “The system is flawed, and they have to do better than what they’ve been doing.”
“I know why the League has the draft lottery, and that’s to create some drama for the fans,” he continued. “But I think they do it because they don’t want teams to “tank”, but nobody tanks…there has to be a better way of doing this. What is the better way? I don’t know, but they need a better system.”
As an added insult, the winner of the 1st overall draft pick (which will be used to select phenom forward Alexis Lafranière) has yet to be decided. A placeholder team, one of the eight clubs that will eventually lose out in the NHL’s qualifying round, overcame the odds to win the 1st overall pick. There will now be a later draw later this summer.
Kal defended the Red Wings for not attempting to lose games in an effort to secure better odds at a high draft pick, but bemoaned the system currently in place that’s designed to reward teams that don’t do as well in the regular season standings.
“Last year, there were a number of things as to why they were the worst team,” he said. “They didn’t have much depth, they had a lot of injuries, and their talent was as good as other teams. They went out and tried to win every game possible and not lose to get the 1st pick…the last few years, they’ve moved backwards. The bonus for not making the playoffs is the chance to make the No. 1 pick. But when a playoff team has the chance to get the number 1 pick, that’s not fair.”
“This was completely unfair to the Red Wings organization,” Caputo concluded.
We absolutely share their sentiments!
