The Athletic’s draft gurus, Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler, weighed in as to the draft hauls made by each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams over the course of the past two days, and Red Wings beat writer Max Bultman joined the chorus over the course of Saturday evening.
Sharing what I can from a subscription-based website is tricky, but I think it’s okay to offer this from Pronman regarding the Red Wings’ picks, who he breaks down on an individual basis…
As readers may know by now, I’m not the biggest Simon Edvinsson fan, even though I think he will be a great NHL player. As readers also know, I love Sebastian Cossa. Between them, I think the Red Wings will get two important long-term players. Shai Buium also has a solid chance to be a regular NHL defenseman, while some of their later picks have chances, too. I think Detroit gets two very good players from this draft with a chance for three regulars.
Again, Pronman breaks down the Wings’ 2021 draft class in detail (subscriber-only);
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler deems the Red Wings an “overtime loser” for their second-day draft haul, suggesting that the Wings made too many reaches for players who may have been available to them without having to sacrifice extra draft picks…
17. Detroit Red Wings
Day 1 rank: No. 10 (overtime winner)Shai Buium felt a little early at the top of the second round. I know several teams had him in that kind of a range, which likely forced the Red Wings’ hand a little bit. But he’s more of a high-floor, low-ceiling guy and there was some serious talent available if they wanted to take more of a cut, which I think should be the approach more often than not. Buium’s game is built upon a reliable three-zone presence defensively, a strong foundation, advanced spatial awareness, and a pro frame. There’s work to be done to round out his touch with the puck and feel for things offensively, though, which could limit how high he plays in a lineup.
After taking Carter Mazur, an overager I wouldn’t have drafted in the third round, I did really like the Red Wings’ selection of Red Savage, my 85th-ranked prospect, in the fourth. I called Miami University head coach Chris Bergeron this week to try to make sense of Savage, a 200-foot player who I think has been a little miscast into a strict shutdown center projection (I actually quite like his skill level when in the dirty areas and his teammates adore him).
…
I don’t think the Red Wings are likely to get more than one, maybe two depth players if they’re lucky out of this Day 2 group, but I didn’t hate what they did either.
Continued (subscriber-only);
And Max Bultman offers 15 thoughts about the Wings’ 8-player, two-day haul, with his conclusion offering the most hope to fans who hope to witness the Wings’ prospects–or some of them, at least–in person this fall:
Finally, a little good news / bad news on the announcement front for prospect fans: The Red Wings are not planning on having a formal development camp this year. The timing was just too awkward, and there was too much uncertainty to properly plan one. They will look to do one next year, though.
That said, it sounds like the Traverse City prospect tournament is in the works to come back this fall. We’ll see how many of this year’s draftees are at that event, but after this week’s World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, that sounds like it may be the best chance to get views on the next wave of Red Wings.
Continued (subscriber-only); here’s hoping that you and I cross paths this September in Traverse City, good readers and friends.
I agree that the Wings were swinging for the fences but IMHO that was a good thing for this draft.
There is a reason writers write while Stevie is a GM. So I would trust his opinion backed by a staff over that of writers who most likely have not seen most of these kids and rely on the opinions of other writers. A tells B who tells C who tells A so they sometimes wind up in a self supporting circle.
And when writers are wrong it is soon forgotten while professionals wind up getting critiqued by these same writers.
Pronman spent the last year familiarizing himself with the 2021 draft class, so while he’s biased toward certain players over the others, he may know nearly as much as the Red Wings’ scouting staff.
My sense about the draft is that the Wings did make some slightly sketchy picks, but, overall, the team made solid moves. It’s really a “time will tell” issue. As Draper said, Friday and Saturday were just the start of the journey for these kids.