The Red Wings drafted Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno in the first round of the 2018 draft yesterday night in Dallas, and many pundits suggested that the Red Wings emerged as “winners” because Czech sniper Zadina and QMJHL star Veleno “fell” to Detroit.
The Red Wings have 9 more picks this morning (rounds 2-7 take place at 11 AM EDT, on the NHL Network/NHL.com), including the 33rd and 36th picks, the 67th pick, 81st and 84th picks, so the Wings are going to be very busy today.
Of Red Wings-related note this morning:
1. The Sporting News’s Brett Schlager echoes the comments of other pundits in declaring the Wings a draft “winner”:
Winner: Red Wings
In some respects, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is managing for his job this summer. This is a critical offseason for a team whose few promising pieces are bogged down by aging, cap-strangling players. Holland’s Day 1 haul makes him perhaps the biggest winner in the first round. Filip Zadina, the Czech winger regarded by many as the best pure scorer in the 2018 class, slipped past the Canadiens, Senators and Coyotes and into Detroit’s lap at No. 6.
Passing on Michigan product Quinn Hughes must have been a difficult decision for the defense-starved Wings, but Zadina may have been the one player worth doing so. As icing on the cake, center Joe Veleno, the sixth-ranked prospect on Sporting News’ big board, was available at No. 30 after a first-round free fall. That’s value.
2. Ken Holland and Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright both spoke with the media after last night’s first round, as noted by MLive’s Ansar Khan:
Continue reading Morning news: ‘winning’ Wings, KH and Tyler Wright on the first round, BTS with Zadina and draft videos
