POLL: Was 2017 Draft a Bust?

[Dotter]

I've read a handful of times posted by DRW members here that they think Detroit's 2017 draft is going to be considered a bust, and was considered "character and size" over "talent" is a losing proposition. Is that just a few posters making lots of noise? Or is this something that is considered a common consensus?

Me personally, I like the draft. I think RAS is proving to be a better pick than both Necas and Vilardi who seem to have some sort of issues holding them back right now (probably unforeseen issues to the general armchair scout).

I am starting to think maybe the 2017 draft might be considered a thin draft for good NHL talent across the board after top5, but still too early to tell.

Your thoughts?

Click to read more...

 

[TheMule93]

I thought it was a bust on the day of the draft. Definitely too early but it doesn't change the fact that not a single player from that draft intrigues me very much

 

[DetroitRed]

Going straight from juniors to the NHL is not something most prospects can do with much success. Going straight from juniors to the NHL and playing a physical game is particularly difficult.

I think Rasmussen's brief conditioning stint in Grand Rapids showed a lot of promise. I also think we've seen flashes of his skill in the NHL. I have a feeling he'll be good.

He's not the guy who I would've drafted, but my guy hasn't shown any more promise than Rasmussen at the NHL level and you could say the same about all but the top few guys from that draft class.

The Wings probably have been guilty of some bad team building practices recently. They got very lucky with Larkin, but that whole phase where they wanted Michigan players over the most skilled players was worse than drafting for size. At least size can be useful in certain situations in a game.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

I don't think any of the players drafted will end up being a factor for the next good Wings roster.

 

[Adityase]

I voted bust but only because of the number of pics we had and how we seemed to focus on those character/grit guys too early. Then again, like it was mentioned, it might just be seen as a weak draft overall. If Ras is a top 6 player and Lindstrom is a top 4 d-man, I'll be over the moon. But I'll still look at the draft as a bit of a wasted opportunity.

 

[Ezekial]

if Ras is a real top 6er and Lindstrom is a top 4 the 2017 draft was a f***ing godsend not a bust.

 

[Christien]

Too early, but I like Lindstrom a lot

 

[TheOtherOne]

We took:
#9 Michael Rasmussen (C)
#38 Gustav Lindstrom (D)
#71 Kaspar Kotkansalo (D)
#79 Lane Zablocki (RW)
#83 Zachary Gallant (C)
#88 Keith Petruzzelli (G)
#100 Malte Setkov (D)
#131 Cole Fraser (D)
#162 John Adams (RW)
#164 Reilly Webb (D)
#193 Brady Gilmour (C)

I don't have an opinion, I'm just being helpful.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

Lemme get back to you in 2020.

 

[Dotter]

We took:
#9 Michael Rasmussen (C)
#38 Gustav Lindstrom (D)
#71 Kaspar Kotkansalo (D)
#79 Lane Zablocki (RW)
#83 Zachary Gallant (C)
#88 Keith Petruzzelli (G)
#100 Malte Setkov (D)
#131 Cole Fraser (D)
#162 John Adams (RW)
#164 Reilly Webb (D)
#193 Brady Gilmour (C)

I don't have an opinion, I'm just being helpful.

Was it Setkov that was at training camp and looked good/stood out? So many names to remember.

 

[DatsyukToZetterberg]

I voted bust because of the philosophy that the team took in this draft, but it is still too early to tell. While I don't believe it likely, it is still possible someone like Ras evolves into a top player and Lindstrom becomes a top 4 D. If those 2 things occur, then you could at least squint and see it being average or above average depending on their impact. Given that the other 5 CHLer drafted players are unlikely to receive contracts, the draft is definitely not trending in the right direction but I'm holding out hope that the others can develop into role players.

Here are some quotes from Wright after the draft:

"We put an emphasis on size, defense," Tyler Wright, the Red Wings director of amateur scouting, said. "I thought we filled a lot of holes."

"We wanted to get bigger and still kind of keep the identity of what we're known for and that's skill and sense," Wright said in a phone interview with MLive. "We wanted to become a harder team to play against."

"The need to improve their skating was a common theme for many of these selections."
"I believe that skating can improve and you can get faster," Wright said. "But you have to have the heart. The people that have that commitment to put that time and effort in, they're the ones that get better."

https://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2017/06/nhl_draft_17_detroit_red_wings_1.html

"I'm actually thinking about what we have to draft next year. We're going to get a little bit more of an emphasis on higher-end skill, maybe get a little bit riskier in the forward position," Wright said. "We wanted to address it. We addressed defense this year because we deemed as a staff to be a fairly deep defense draft.

"Next year we got to add some skill set guys that are going to be able to work the half-wall on the power play, guys that are going to be the pure goal scorers. When you take a little bit more of a calculated risk, you got to give something up sometimes.

Tyler Wright on creating a Red Wings culture

The biggest issue I have with this draft is the team focused on skill sets that you can find in FA every year for peanuts and wasted valuable picks in our rebuild on guys that have limited value in today's NHL. They decided to go after guys that are big, have gumption, and are hard to play against instead of trying to draft the BPA or the player that has the most upside. He even came out said that they'll focus on getting those skilled guys next year as if there's some limit to the number of skilled guys a team can have.

Even though there has been limited research completed on the topic to be a scorer at the NHL level you need to have scored at previous levels. In the event you draft someone with an offensive profile they can always learn to defend at the pro level should their offense not develop. The Wings have had a multitude of high scoring Jr. players make that transition: Draper, Maltby, Cleary, Lapointe, and Helm were good Jr. players that had to develop defensive games to stay in the NHL. When an offensive player has other attributes that provide value they can reshape their game should the offence not develop at the pro level.

I guess how you view the draft may change depending on what you consider a good draft to be. Is it getting 3 or 4 NHLers, though they're all playing in lower line roles, or is getting a good top 6 forward with a lower line player too. I'm of the opinion a team should target players that have the skills that are hard to find and more expensive to attain. In my opinion, there should be a clear focus on highly skilled players/High IQ, whatever one determines that is, as that is where the premium is paid in both trades and FA. Should you hit on one of your picks you'll be creating massive amounts of excess value while that player is in his RFA years.

 

[ricky0034]

definitely

11 picks,one of them a top 10 and the best case scenario at this point is a second line winger and a bottom pairing defenseman

and that's if things go well

 

[MBauer]

By their Draft +1 years almost everyone outside of Ras and Lindstrom either showed little to no progression or regressed, that is pretty bad. I don't really think either of Ras or Lindstrom have very high upside either, Lindstrom is far from a lock to become an NHLer either.

 

[kliq]

Was it Setkov that was at training camp and looked good/stood out? So many names to remember.

If my memory serves me right, Setkov is the one who looked like a giant out there.

 

[kliq]

We took:
#9 Michael Rasmussen (C)
#38 Gustav Lindstrom (D)
#71 Kaspar Kotkansalo (D)
#79 Lane Zablocki (RW)
#83 Zachary Gallant (C)
#88 Keith Petruzzelli (G)
#100 Malte Setkov (D)
#131 Cole Fraser (D)
#162 John Adams (RW)
#164 Reilly Webb (D)
#193 Brady Gilmour (C)

I don't have an opinion, I'm just being helpful.

Petruzzelli is the pick that intrigues me the most, as going in he was the #2 ranked NA goalie in the draft. He struggled in his first year in the NCAA last year, but he seems to have rebounded nicely this year. It's by no means a lock, but I could easily see in 10 years him being the prize of this draft for us.

*edit* I made a mistake, the stats I was looking at were for last year, doesnt look like he's played this year.

 

[HomersWorld]

Too early to tell. I don't think it was a very good or inspiring draft, but it could end up being passable.

Rasmussen should be pretty good and I think Lindstrom will play. I think Kotkansalo, Petruzzelli, and Setkov have a chance to various degrees. If a few of those guys end up being regulars on a good team in a few years, then that's pretty good.

Last year we had those 4 high picks and I loved that they swung on high skill like Berggren and even swung on skill late in the draft on Kivenmaki. The 2017 draft didn't have as many valuable picks so not having a ton of guys turn out from the draft wouldn't be the biggest deal, but it's still disappointing they didn't really swing big on skill at any point in that draft.

 

[Winger98]

I wasn't a fan of the draft when it happened, and I'm not a fan of it now. I think Rasmussen will be a top9 wing and a force on the power play, beyond that I see a lot of long odds as far as guys making a big, long term impact (top6 forward, top4 D). That said, it's still too early to tell.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Petruzzelli is the pick that intrigues me the most, as going in he was the #2 ranked NA goalie in the draft. He struggled in his first year in the NCAA last year, but he seems to have rebounded nicely this year. It's by no means a lock, but I could easily see in 10 years him being the prize of this draft for us.

Too bad he will be Spencer Knights back up

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Woof, definitely forgot how much I didn’t like what we walked away with in 2017. That said, it’s far too early to say.

 

[Konnan511]

I said too early because I think the Wings will have somewhere between 2-3 players from that draft who will see at least 1 NHL game. Ras, Lindstrom, Kotkansalo, Setkov, or Petruzzelli.

 

[kliq]

Too bad he will be Spencer Knights back up

Oh shoot, the stats I was looking at were from last year.

Either way, what are you referring yo Cady? Knight goes to Boston Collage, KP goes to Quinnipiac....no?

 

[Tetsuo]

Rasmussen is as close to a lock to being an NHLer as you can get, the question was and still is the degree of success he will find. Will he be able to put his tremendous physical gifts to use anywhere outside of the PP? Will he be able to be consistent top-line or even top six presence? We are still several years away from answering that question.

The same can be said for a decent chunk of the other players taken later too: they have some intriguing aspects (mostly size) but they are all raw and all are several years removed from making the show at minimum. 2017 wasn't the best draft year, but if at least one pick other than Ras can make the NHL then I think the Wings did OK.

 

[chances14]

nobody should be voting bust solely on the fact the wings took players you didn't like at this point. It's still too early to say

 

[Leibinger6]

Actually look through the 2017 draft after the 1st round (hell, even in the 1st round) and tell me how many NHL players/regulars you see for any team... practically ZERO. Too early. Way too early.

 

[KasperTheGrittyGhost]

Don’t think this draft was a bust at all. Rasmussen and Lindstrom both seem to be players, Petruzzelli and Setkov have potential attributes that make patience a virtue.

My problems with this draft are the Kotkansalo and Zablocki picks. Swap those for a few two skill picks (maybe Popugaev, Samorukov, and Batherson) and people aren’t raising a stink about this draft at all.