It’s Zadina!

[SpikeDDS]

<sigh>

 

So there it is. This is not a bad pick. Overall, the most talented player left in the draft for our pick. Even though we DO need an elite Dman more, I suppose we can’t turn down what is arguably the 3rd most talented player in the draft.

 

Tatar’s replacement, eh?

[jammer2]

 I'm happy for you guys. Zadina is a HUGE get. Yet another cornerstone piece secured. Yeah, they needed defense, but you just do not pass up a guy like Zadina. The other pick, Veleno....I was praying the Flyers did not take them at #19, but you start talking the 30 pick, that is decent value right there. 

[SpikeDDS]

@jammer2

 

I’m quite surprised no one took him at ##3-5. I didn’t think Montreal could resist the talent when they really needed a center, but they did. That surprised me, and I think the others were somewhat decided on what they needed. We got the first bargain picknof the draft after the obvious first 2.

 

And then we did it again with Veleno at #30. I also agree with this choice, probably more so than the Zelina pick, because the level of impact the remaining Dmen had at that point was FAR outweighed by the upside of Veleno.

[TheHockeytown]

As much as I would have liked to see Bouchard or Hughes or Boqvist in the winged-wheel (and for the record, I felt bad for Hughes... he seemed so disappointed), and as much as the Wings desperately need defense, @jammer2 said it best: you don't pass on the caliber of Zadina. For him to fall to 6th and then Veleno to 30th is a hugely needed sigh of relief for the Wings and us fans. Veleno's getting a lot of guff - I think he'll use that and his drop to 30th as motivation moving forward. Solid players. Extremely happy to have these two guys.

 

McIsaac at 36th. So the building blocks now consist of Larkin, Mantha, Zadina, Svech, Veleno, Ras, and McIsaac (assuming AA is gone soon). Hronek's gotta be there somewhere too.

 

If you ask me (lil bit of bias lol), we won the draft and a year may have just been shaved off of the rebuild.

 

Can't wait for @yave1964's analysis of what is a definite slam dunk for Detroit at the draft.

[hf101]

An A+ for the Redwings in this draft.  -- Well done.

 

Zadina is going to be a real ****stirrer for you all.  lol.   https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/2018-nhl-draft-live-blog-rumours-news-picks/

Quote

 

Zadina, who models his game after Nikita Kucherov, was asked if he’d have extra motivation facing off against the Canadiens or Senators.

“Yeah, I’m telling my agent if they will pass on me, I will fill their net with the puck. Yeah, it’s just I want to prove [to] them that they have done, like, bad decision. But I’m so glad that I am in Detroit right now, so I just want to prove to Detroit that they have got a pretty good decision.”

 

 

[Haliax]

15 hours ago, hf101 said:

An A+ for the Redwings in this draft.  -- Well done.

 

Zadina is going to be a real ****stirrer for you all.  lol.   https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/2018-nhl-draft-live-blog-rumours-news-picks/

 

Have you watched the interview Zadina had with the press? You could tell he was sick of being asked about "sliding", and it took a few pokes before he finally gave that comment. He also got exasperated when he was asked about how NHL ready he is. Doesn't seem like a guy who likes dealing with the media. I can totally get behind that.

 

Really excited about this draft, hopefully it ends up being as good as it seems at first glance. I was surprised at the goaltenders that they chose to go with, especially when Dostal (went right after to the Ducks) was still available when they picked Eliasson. And Alexis Gravel was still there when they took Brattstrom. Still seems really strange. But most of the other picks are just high value. If Zadina wasn't available, they definitely would have taken one of Hughes, Dobson, or Bouchard, so we'll see in the coming years how that turns out, but he really looks like he could be the top goal scorer taken in this draft. I was so surprised that Veleno dropped to 30th. I thought he would be picked before Hayton as the second C taken. Instead he was the 6th C taken. Great value. 

 

I was really disappointed when Alexeyev went to the Capitals, and then Samuelsson went to the Sabres right after. I didn't know much about Berggren before we picked him, but after doing some reading and watching highlights, I'm really happy we got him. I think McIsaac went right around where he should have, though I'm not convinced he was worth taking over Bode Wilde (damn, the Islanders had a great draft on paper). 

 

After that it is a crap shoot. Regula seems like a risk worth taking, but Barton I don't understand. Never watched him play, but seemed like a weird spot to draft him. O'Reilly seems like a good pick, but I was hoping for one of Nico Gross, Xavier Bernard, or Philip Kurashev. 

 

Anyways, was a fun draft. Easily the most invested I've gotten in getting to know and watching prospects prior to the draft. Hopefully Zadina earns a spot on the roster next year!

 

[ruxpin]

4 hours ago, Haliax said:

I was really disappointed when Alexeyev went to the Capitals, and then Samuelsson went to the Sabres right after. I didn't know much about Berggren before we picked him, but after doing some reading and watching highlights, I'm really happy we got him.

 

I don't know about Alexeyev, but I think you did much better with Berggren over Samuelsson.  Berggren will be very good while I think Samuelsson will be one of those revolving turnstiles at the pro level.   

 

Man, outside looking in, I have to put the Red Wings and Islanders as neck-and-neck for the best draft.   Both did really well.

 

[ruxpin]

4 hours ago, Haliax said:

Easily the most invested I've gotten in getting to know and watching prospects prior to the draft. Hopefully Zadina earns a spot on the roster next year!

 

Increasingly for me each year the past several.   I blame this board.  

[SpikeDDS]

4 hours ago, Haliax said:

Have you watched the interview Zadina had with the press? You could tell he was sick of being asked about "sliding", and it took a few pokes before he finally gave that comment. He also got exasperated when he was asked about how NHL ready he is. Doesn't seem like a guy who likes dealing with the media. I can totally get behind that.

 

If I am not mistaken, it was reported before the draft that Zadina warned Montreal that if they didn’t pick him, he would fill their net. The press just ate that up and were goading him to repeat what he had already said. Took them 3 attempts to get it out of him.

 

But there was no question that the slide pissed him off. And though he tried to hold his tongue, there was little chance of the press not forcing that comment out of him again.

[SpikeDDS]

4 hours ago, Haliax said:

I was so surprised that Veleno dropped to 30th. I thought he would be picked before Hayton as the second C taken. Instead he was the 6th C taken. Great value.

 

Boy, me too, and it’s really the ONLY reason I am OK with us not taking a Dman in the first round. Holland et al must have been saying, “OMg, lookee what we have here at #30!”

 

Though a couple of months ago, I would have said to take a Dman instead of grabbing the talent, the potential impact of the available Dmen vs. Veleno made this pick easy, despite the fact that it would mean we wouldn’t pick a Dman until the second round.

 

And, like you, I was probably more familiar with kids in the draft this year than any other year. This draft was SO crucial for the Red Wings moving forward. This will probably be true of every Wings fan on here with the exception of @yave1964.

[yave1964]

1 hour ago, SpikeDDS said:

 

Boy, me too, and it’s really the ONLY reason I am OK with us not taking a Dman in the first round. Holland et al must have been saying, “OMg, lookee what we have here at #30!”

 

Though a couple of months ago, I would have said to take a Dman instead of grabbing the talent, the potential impact of the available Dmen vs. Veleno made this pick easy, despite the fact that it would mean we wouldn’t pick a Dman until the second round.

 

And, like you, I was probably more familiar with kids in the draft this year than any other year. This draft was SO crucial for the Red Wings moving forward. This will probably be true of every Wings fan on here with the exception of @yave1964.

Loved the draft skill on top of more skills. We now have options to trade forwards to fill the back end just elated. I have been critical of Holland for years but he crushed it so credit where it's due 

[SpikeDDS]

1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

Loved the draft skill on top of more skills. We now have options to trade forwards to fill the back end just elated. I have been critical of Holland for years but he crushed it so credit where it's due 

 

Though, let's not be TOTALLY forgiving: You'd have to be pretty stupid NOT to take Zadina at #6 or Veleno at #30. But give him credit--where he has not been as smart in the past, this was a good draft. Perhaps created more by circumstance than Holland's brilliance, but since he is at the helm, he gets the credit. So yes, he gets it.

 

Job-saving draft, perhaps?

[ruxpin]

5 minutes ago, SpikeDDS said:

 

Though, let's not be TOTALLY forgiving: You'd have to be pretty stupid NOT to take Zadina at #6 or Veleno at #30. But give him credit--where he has not been as smart in the past, this was a good draft. Perhaps created more by circumstance than Holland's brilliance, but since he is at the helm, he gets the credit. So yes, he gets it.

 

Job-saving draft, perhaps?

 

He gets credit for picking what was obvious.

 

Honestly, though, I know the conventional popular wisdom here was that Veleno was the obvious pick, but I think quite possibly Detroit fans are going to look back at this saying, "we could have had X, Y, Z defenseman at that pick."   I think Veleno's ceiling is 3rd line.   Hoping I'm wrong because despite being a Flyers' fan, I've always liked the Wings.  But I wasn't high on Veleno going into the draft and I remain "meh."  He's a poor man's Mike Richards (poor enough to stay off the opiates, hopefully).  That's not a bad thing (at all), but I just have a feeling there was probably a smarter pick there (NOT named Noel!). 

[SpikeDDS]

3 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

He gets credit for picking what was obvious.

 

Honestly, though, I know the conventional popular wisdom here was that Veleno was the obvious pick, but I think quite possibly Detroit fans are going to look back at this saying, "we could have had X, Y, Z defenseman at that pick."   I think Veleno's ceiling is 3rd line.   Hoping I'm wrong because despite being a Flyers' fan, I've always liked the Wings.  But I wasn't high on Veleno going into the draft and I remain "meh."  He's a poor man's Mike Richards (poor enough to stay off the opiates, hopefully).  That's not a bad thing (at all), but I just have a feeling there was probably a smarter pick there (NOT named Noel!). 

 

It DOES seem like there are two trains of thought on him--one that thinks he's a top 15, and those who think he's a high second rounder as far as potential goes.

 

There isn't much question about his skating ability, and that fits right into what the Wings usually like, and how they are choosing to rebuild. However, I do see the potential of Veleno being another Darren Helm. Helm has been so fast, but just never seemed to reach what I thought his potential would be, because he doesn't know how to finish. Kris Draper was the same way. I LOVED Draper, but we didn't pick him at #30. We paid $1 for him, and he FAR exceeded those expectations. But he was a 3rd liner. A GREAT 3rd liner, but a 3rd liner. Helm really was a 2nd-3rd liner at his best, and though I have liked him, he IS being overpaid for what he does now.

 

Veleno will ultimately prove which side was right. IMHO, I think they still made the right decision as far as near-future impact goes. There was no Dman left who would be NHL-ready as soon as Veleno can be. Might be season after next if he does well this year. I don't think we would be saying that about any Dman we could have picked instead at #30. For #6, yes. But Zadina was just too much talent to ignore. So in that sense, Veleno may be a gamble, but with a pretty big upside if we win the gamble.

 

The question DOES remain about who is going to play defense for us, though. If there is a criticism of this draft, it is that the Wings didn't really address their top concern, which is obtaining a top-tier Dman. But nothing good comes without cost, including opportunity cost.

[ruxpin]

1 minute ago, SpikeDDS said:

There isn't much question about his skating ability, and that fits right into what the Wings usually like, and how they are choosing to rebuild. However, I do see the potential of Veleno being another Darren Helm. Helm has been so fast, but just never seemed to reach what I thought his potential would be, because he doesn't know how to finish. Kris Draper was the same way. I LOVED Draper, but we didn't pick him at #30. We paid $1 for him, and he FAR exceeded those expectations. But he was a 3rd liner. A GREAT 3rd liner, but a 3rd liner. Helm really was a 2nd-3rd liner at his best, and though I have liked him, he IS being overpaid for what he does now.

 

I think those are probably quite apt comparisons.  And if that ends up being the case, that's okay.  Because this:

 

1 minute ago, SpikeDDS said:

There was no Dman left who would be NHL-ready as soon as Veleno can be

 

is true.

 

Really, at #30 you did end up with the soonest available help.  Even the not-so-glowing reviews I've read on him acknowledge the speed and the hockey IQ.   He's the type that could end up being a 3rd line penalty kill/2nd pp unit specialist wearing the "C."   If that's what you end up with (even minus the "C") the Wings did really well at #30.   Overall, I said before but will repeat:  The Wings--and arguably the Islanders--seemed to have the best draft, particularly at the top.  I'd be happy as a Wings' fan.

[SpikeDDS]

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

Overall, I said before but will repeat:  The Wings--and arguably the Islanders--seemed to have the best draft, particularly at the top.  I'd be happy as a Wings' fan.

 

I would give the nod to the Islanders. It DID help that they had the two back-to-back at ##11-12, but they made the most of their opportunities, and their two were overall better than our 2, and thus they got two definitely solid players. We have what could be a superstar and a gamble, but a good gamble. Lamoriello did really well. Time will tell. If Veleno pays off like he could, Holland will, once again, look like a genius.

[ruxpin]

46 minutes ago, SpikeDDS said:

 

I would give the nod to the Islanders. It DID help that they had the two back-to-back at ##11-12, but they made the most of their opportunities, and their two were overall better than our 2, and thus they got two definitely solid players. We have what could be a superstar and a gamble, but a good gamble. Lamoriello did really well. Time will tell. If Veleno pays off like he could, Holland will, once again, look like a genius.

 

Agreed on the Islanders.  I mean, all they really did in the first round was grab what other GMs inexplicably left sitting there.  Barrett Hayton going so early was really the only glaring "WTF?" before them.  I mean, one can argue about Kotkaniemi at #3, but it made sense to me and wouldn't have made any difference to the Islanders.    Kravtsov going at #9 was a surprise, too.  (But I really like Kravtsov.  I really wanted him to fall to #14 or for the Flyers to trade up for him. I wonder if something ended involving a trade of #10 for #14 when Kravtsov went at #9).    Those two things combined paid dividends for the Islanders.   If the Coyotes take Zedina, Detroit takes a defenseman and the Islanders are left with Ty Smith or some other reach defenseman.     I think maybe Wahlstrom somehow falls there either way with the introduction of Kravtsov to the top 10.  if the Rangers don't take him, the Islanders do and I'm still disappointed.

 

But the Islanders, I guess like the Wings, took what was handed them.   They could have been like the Wild and refused it and taken a 3rd rounder.

[Haliax]

9 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

I don't know about Alexeyev, but I think you did much better with Berggren over Samuelsson.  Berggren will be very good while I think Samuelsson will be one of those revolving turnstiles at the pro level.   

 

Man, outside looking in, I have to put the Red Wings and Islanders as neck-and-neck for the best draft.   Both did really well.

 

I think all of the defencemen at that point in the draft had less boom potential than Berggren, I just had to educate myself a bit. Really excited to see how he does next year. 

9 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

Increasingly for me each year the past several.   I blame this board.  

It is fun, isn't it. A lot to consider in a draft pick beyond the numbers, but the numbers sure make it interesting. I love analyzing stats.

9 hours ago, SpikeDDS said:

 

If I am not mistaken, it was reported before the draft that Zadina warned Montreal that if they didn’t pick him, he would fill their net. The press just ate that up and were goading him to repeat what he had already said. Took them 3 attempts to get it out of him.

 

But there was no question that the slide pissed him off. And though he tried to hold his tongue, there was little chance of the press not forcing that comment out of him again.

Ahh, that makes more sense. I was wondering why they were angling so hard at him to get a response when he seemed so clearly to not want to say much about it. I love it though, shows his competitiveness which some of our top guys seem to lack game in and game out right now. Thinking specifically Athanasiou and Mantha, although I've read that Mantha is working really hard on his shift by shift efforts with Blashill.