The Red Wings have a high-stakes decision to make in terms of which player they will draft 6th overall in Dallas next month, and the Wings have 4 selections among the top 36 picks (among a total of 11 draft picks this year), so there’s going to be some serious debate as to which player or players the Wings should pick at the draft.
The Detroit News’s John Niyo spoke with Red Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright regarding the debates the team’s front office will have during the organizational meetings that are underway presently at Little Caesars Arena:
The 45-year-old Wright isn’t joking when he talks about some of the “long, drawn-out meetings” that’ll eventually produce the Red Wings’ prospect rankings for next month’s NHL Draft in Dallas.
A draft that general manager Ken Holland has described as a 2-for-1 deal for Detroit, considering the team holds a league-high 11 picks, including two picks in each of the first two rounds — that’s four of the first 36 selections overall — and three more in the third.
“We debate everything,” said Wright, who joined the Wings organization in July 2013 after spending six years prior to that with the Columbus. “It’ll be respectful, but these meetings can get heated at times, which I enjoy. I like it. I encourage it, actually.”
Likewise, he’s embracing the moment, prepping for his fifth draft with a full understanding of what’s at stake, the Red Wings now fully invested in a organizational rebuild after spending most of the last 25 years with a decidedly different outlook.
“I mean, I think there’s pressure on any draft — for any team,” Wright said. “But we’ve got a great challenge in front of us. It’s on our shoulders right now, and everybody knows that. It’s an exciting time.”
Niyo continues, and given how often the Red Wings “go off script,” I’ve learned to not make any favorites–especially given, as Niyo notes, that the interviews the Wings hold with prospects during the draft combine in late May have a way of re-ranking the Wings’ list.
That’s where somebody like Michael Rasmussen can make an impression that lasts.
Really hope they take a chance on skill and don’t put so much emphasis on character. We have enough Glendening’s. Need elite skill. Tkachuk would be my nightmare. So overrated. Older than everyone else which inflates his stats all along the way. But he oozes character. Kenny likes that!