The Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari examines the Atlantic Division’s “weak spots” in terms of prospects this morning, and if you didn’t already know by now, the Detroit Red Wings need to shore up their center position:
Detroit Red Wings: Center
First Draft Choice: Round 1, 8th Overall
Steve Yzerman has come into Detroit and really begun to turn things around and build up their prospect pool. His drafting has been spot on and he seems to trust his scouts who happen to be some of the best in the game, especially in Europe. They just had Moritz Seider win the Calder Trophy and fellow rookie Lucas Raymond finish fourth in the voting. They have Simon Edvinsson headlining their loaded defensive pool and Jonatan Berggren has been improving year-over-year to lead the forward pack. The one glaring need is their hole down the middle. Captain Dylan Larkin is a good center but he can’t do it alone. With no other top-six option presenting itself at the moment, the eighth overall pick looks poised to net them a center to fill that void. They could play it safe with a Marco Kasper or take a swing on Matthew Savoie. Could they go against consensus yet again by taking Brad Lambert in the top 10?
Continued; I’m expecting the Wings to be active in free agency to build depth at center as well.
