In Red Wings Land

Red Wings bring ‘best player available’ philosophy, plenty of picks into NHL draft | Detroit News

At No. 6, the Wings will have an impressive array of talent from which to choose.

Defenseman Bowen Byram (Vancouver/WHL), and forwards Cole Caufield (USNTDP), Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge/WHL), Kirby Dach (Saskatoon/WHL), Vasili Podkolzin (SKA/Russia), Alex Turcotte (USNTDP) and Trevor Zegras (USNTDP) are among the players who likely will be there for the Wings.

Tonight is the night, ladies and gentlemen. The NHL Draft is finally here. BPA, bay-bay! Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings just need to take the best player available when they’re on the clock (whether that’s pick #6 or #10 or wherever they end up).

If we get a Filip Zadina type situation again this year and Turcotte or Byram fall to Detroit somehow… oh man, what a night of celebration it will be. However, if the cards fall how we expect them to and it ends up being one of the other names, so be it.

My personal preference these days is to take a center. That takes Caufield and Podkolzin off the board. Of the three remaining names — Cozens, Dach & Zegras — I’m on #TeamZegras. Give me the playmaking center that can set up some Zadina goals for the next decade.

Around the League

Lightning’s Ryan Callahan placed on long-term injury reserve | Tampa Bay Times

Well, sh*t. There goes the idea of trading for Ryan Callahan and getting an asset from the Lightning in return for taking his cap hit/contract off their books.

Mock Draft

NHL mock draft: Expect a heavy U.S. presence at the start of the first round | USA Today

6. Detroit Red Wings: Center Kirby Dach (Canada), 6-4, 200. Ranked No. 3 among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings. Had 25 goals and 73 points in 62 games in the WHL.

I would accept this decision.