You're moving the goalposts. Where did I say you had to find them in the 6th? Also it doesn't matter whether a team is a contender or not when talking about later draft picks, since every team has a crack at those players...
So really makes more sense to look at the 2nd round and later.
2015 draft:
- CAR Aho 35th OA
2014 draft:
- BOS Pastrnak 25th OA
- TB Point 79th OA
2011 draft:
- ANA Gibson 39th OA
- TB Kucherov 58th OA
- CGY Gaudreau 104th OA
2010 draft:
- CAR Faulk 37th OA
- DAL Klingberg 131st OA
2009 draft:
- COL O'Reilly 33rd OA
2008 draft:
- WSH Carlson 27th OA
- NAS Josi 38th OA
- WSH Holtby 93rd OA
2007 draft:
- MTL Subban 43rd OA
- DAL Benn 129th OA
2006 draft:
- BOS Marchand 71st OA
2005 draft:
- SJ Vlasic 35th OA
- PIT Letang 62nd OA
- LA Quick 72nd OA
- PHX Yandle 105th OA
2004 draft:
- WSH Green 29th OA
- NSH Rinne 258th OA
2003 draft:
- BOS Bergeron 45th OA
- NSH Weber 49th OA
- SJ Pavelski 205th OA
- CHI Byfuglien 245th OA
2002 draft:
- CHI Keith 54th OA
2000 draft:
- NYR Lundqvist 205th OA
There's your list (it is pretty long
) going back to 2000. I included players in the #25-30 range since they would have been available to Detroit at the time. Otherwise they are all 2nd round or later.
CAR x2
BOS x3
TB x2
ANA x1
CHI x2
CGY x1
DAL x2
COL x1
WSH x3
NSH x3
MTL x1
SJ x2
PIT x1
LA x1
PHX x1
Since Detroit drafted their last elite player after ~25th OA (D and Z in 98/99), fully half of the entire league have done it (15 teams). 8 of them have done it 2 or 3 times. The only elite player Detroit has to show in the 21st century is Dylan Larkin picked at #15.
Is it really so controversial to say Detroit's drafting could stand to improve significantly?
EDIT: Another depressing way to put it in perspective, is that Detroit has drafted 1 more elite player in the 2000s than Las Vegas has... and with the way Brannstrom's looking, even that might not be true.