Day Two Draft Notes

I’m not going to go too deep on what was a very long second day of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.  There are prospects sites for that.

My gut feeling is that they reached once they got past the second round.  There were players dropping, players with supposedly high ceilings there for the taking, and they passed for what seems like safer picks.  If you’re treating each draft pick as a lottery ticket, play the Mega Millions, not the Daily Three.

But what do I know?

I like the selections of defenseman William Wallinder (32nd, 2nd round) and forward Theodor Niederbach (51st, 2nd round).

I also liked goalie Jan Bednar (107th, 4th round), but I would have preferred to see them go with Nico Daws at 70th (after trading down from 65th).

In that same range, perhaps 63rd instead of instead of Donovan Sebrango, I also wanted to see the Wings take a flyer on Jean-Luc Foudy.

Cross Hanas at 55th, Eemil Viro at 70th, Sam Stange at 97th…  I’ll admit, none of those guys were particularly on my radar.

After Alex Cotton at 132nd and Kyle Aucoin at 156th, I think the seventh round picks are interesting.

Detroit went with Kienan Draper, son of Kris Draper, at 187th.  At the time, it was their final pick, and I derisively called it “sentimental” on Twitter.  The late rounds are a crap-shoot anyway so if you want to throw your picks at a kid with ties to the organization, go ahead.  What I thought was weird was that they made the “sentimental” pick with their last pick, then went out and flipped a 2021 7th for 203rd overall this year so they could take Chase Bradley.

To me, that feels like there was a battle over how 187 should have been used and the sentimental choice won out.  Then, after Draper was picked, the Wings went out and got another pick to grab their other guy.

Just feels weird to me but I could be overreacting.

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In other breaking news today, it was revealed that the Red Wings did not submit qualifying offers to Madison Bowey, Brendan Perlini, or Christoffer Ehn.  The three will become unrestricted free agents on Friday.

As I said on Twitter, I would have qualified Bowey before Perlini or Adam Erne, despite any pending blueline logjam.  I kind of hope that if other offers aren’t there, that Bowey and Ehn get circled back to.  On league-minimum deals, those guys could be useful depth, known-quantities.  In particular, I like Bowey as a seventh or eighth defenseman more than Brian Lashoff or Dylan McIlrath.  Dominic Turgeon could easily take Ehn’s spot so I’m less worried about him.

I’d have let Erne walk but apparently the Wings are going to try to bring him back.  I don’t see him having anything the Wings organization doesn’t already have.  He was brought in to see what he could do with more playing time and the answer is not much.

Perlini is disappointing in general.  I didn’t like giving up Alec Regula to get him and now Perlini is on his way out.  Just a waste.