Who will the Detroit Red Wings draft with the 6th overall pick?

[Hatter of the Beach]

The more I hear about Bergevin's supposed love for Kotkaniemi, the more I seriously think we may make a trade with them for 3rd to nab Zadina.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I think Hughes is anomalous in the way Gaudreau was and is. I think Hughes is so dynamic that he will overcompensate for his limited size. I think he has the highest upside of any defenseman not named Dahlin in the draft. I think Hughes will be able to control the puck and pace of the game in ways Dobson and Bouchard simply can’t.

But like I said, I think Dobson and Bouchard are great prospects as well. I think all three have great potential to be top pairing guys, I just think Hughes has the highest ceiling.

Edit:

To further extrapolate on this thought, Hughes is a puck possession monster, who’s a machine at zone exits and entries, which I believe has been one of the glaring weaknesses of our team since Lidstrom and Rafalski retired.

My comfort with taking Hughes is largely driven not by offensive skill (something people instinctively associate with smaller D men) but by his ability to transition and move the puck. His intelligence and pace in moving the puck is the true strength of his game, not what happens in the offensive zone. When the breakout or the re-group falls apart, he can still consistently gain the offensive blueline which says a lot to me. His feet demand genuine respect in transition defense and create a lot of space. If he was just another undersized offensive defensemen I would be much more worried about the impact of his size on the ultimate outcome of games. I expect, however, that his movement of the puck will alleviate a lot of pressure in the defensive zone.