Day of [fill in the blank] for the Detroit Red Wings

When you hear it’s the day of the National Hockey League (NHL) Draft Lottery, what comes to mind?

Possibilities. Opportunities. Reckoning. Happiness. Suffering. Maybe, it’s just another Tuesday?

For me, it’s a day of hope. Hope for the future of the Detroit Red Wings and its fanbase. The Grand Rapids Griffins have carried the baton of hope, but it will be nice for a change of pace for a day. Focusing on the more distant future is always exciting.

The Hockey News eloquently explains the draft lottery odds:

"“There is a 99% chance the Red Wings will select 15th overall with a 0.5% they move up and a 0.5% they drop down to the 16th pick. As of 2022,the NHL capped the amount a team can climb via the lottery to 10 spots, so Detroit’s best possible selection is fifth.”"

- Sam Stockton

Since there’s a 99.5% chance the Detroit Red Wings draft 15-16, I’ll focus most of this piece on a few names that we might have a chance of drafting within this range.

Here are some possible players the Detroit Red Wings might select depending on the NHL Draft Lottery results Tuesday night.

Regardless of outcome, a player drafted in the 15-16 range still has a chance of becoming a high-end player. There’s still talent and this type of range is where the scouting staff can shine. (And in the draft there are no guarantees whether the draft pick is first or last, it’s up to the players and teams to succeed.)

It’s important to note that the later the draft pick, even in the first round, the longer the development path we might see. It doesn’t mean a player is not good or won’t factor into the future, but seasoning is needed. 

Usually, there’s some type of question mark or marks to a player, which can happen in any range. It’s just a bit more apparent in some capacity. Maybe the size is questionable, a lack of the "it" factor, or a deficiency in some aspect of the game (defensive play, shot, playmaking, hockey IQ/sense, skating, etc.) can cause players to drop.

A recent example is Axel Sandin-Pellikka who somehow miraculously fell to 17th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Level Draft. It’s likely his size factored into the “fall” to 17th overall. While 5’11” isn’t small in normal terms, it’s small for a defenseman. This size didn’t deter the Detroit Red Wings. So far, he’s won a Swedish Hockey League (SHL) Championship and recently signed his entry level contract. 

He’s bordering on elite in terms of offensive skill. Given this offensive ability, it’s as impressive to watch Sandin-Pellikka play an effective defensive game, too. Much like his fellow Swedes in Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren, he’s clutch at times.

https://x.com/HockeytownRD/status/1772756367066943509

Sandin-Pellikka has not played in the NHL and likely won’t play in North America until the 2025-26 season as he plans to play in Sweden another season.

Plenty of promising and successful players were drafted within this range. Heck, it’s where Moritz Seider was expected to go in the 2019 NHL Entry Level Draft. Of course, he didn’t get that far, which brings up another point.

Teams have their own draft boards with completely different priorities in their players. Likely, someone will rise we had never suspected, meanwhile others fall for seemingly unknown reasons. 

It’s possible the Detroit Red Wings make a trade to get a higher (or even lower) draft pick. With all the prospects in the system, though, I think it’s more likely the Detroit Red Wings choose to part with picks and prospects to trade up or for immediate help for the big club. There just isn’t much room in the cupboards. It’s getting crunch time with waivers for certain players and upcoming seasons will only be more complicated with trying to weave rookies in while keeping the team competitive.

For the possible prospects available at the 15-16 range, I’m referencing the handy dandy Tankathon for the 2024 NHL Mock Draft. The 14-16 names are below with quick hits about the player:

Liam Greentree (Right Wing) – Mocked at 14th
Canada
6’2” / 198 lbs / Left Shot
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) 
Games: 64 Goals: 36 Assists: 54 Points: 90

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (Forward) – Mocked at 15th
Noraway
6’1” / 198 lbs / Right Shot
Mora IK (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Games: 41 Goals: 8 Assists: 10 Points: 18

Igor Chernyshov (Left Wing) – Mocked at 16th 
Russia
6’2” / 196 lbs / Right Shot
MHL – Juniors
Games: 22 Goals: 13 Assists: 15 Points: 28

This is just a shortlist of possible prospects in this range. I’m always partial to the more unique players and Brandsegg-Nygård grabs my attention. The Detroit Red Wings are comfortable with the SHL and need right shooting–well forwards and defensemen. Chernyshov fits the criteria too. The Detroit Red Wings haven’t shied away from drafting Russian players, either, so it’s possible they take Chernyshov. Of course, it’s just as likely they draft someone not on this list.

The least likely scenario, is that the Detroit Red Wings move to 5th overall. 

If it was 6th overall, it would seem more likely, as we picked 6th so many times (Simon Edvinsson, Seider, and former Detroit Red Wings Filip Zadina) within a very short span of time.

However, it is still possible that the Hockey Gods smile upon the Detroit Red Wings.

With a 5th overall pick, these might be players who are available:

Cayden Lindstrom (Forward) – Mocked at 4th
Canada
6’4” / 216 lbs / Left Shot
Western Hockey League (WHL)
Games: 32 Goals: 27 Assists: 19 Points: 46

Cole Eiserman (Left Wing) – Mocked at 5th
USA
6’ / 196 lbs / Left Shot
National Team Develpment Program (NTDP) 
Games: 56 Goals: 57 Assists: 31 Points: 88

Sam Dickinson (Defense) – Mocked 6th
Canada 
6’3” / 194 lbs / Left Shot
OHL
Games: 68 Goals: 18 Assists: 52 Points: 70

Zeev Buium (Defense) – Mocked 8th
USA
6’ / 183 lbs / Left Shot
National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)
Games: 42 Goals: 11 Assists: 39 Points: 50

The last 2 options are left-shooting defensemen, so these picks are highly unlikely even if they make it to 5th overall. For Zeev Buium, I’m always up for a good story. The Detroit Red Wings drafted Shai Buium (one of the older brothers to Zeev) in 2021 and it would be a beautiful story. Zeev plays a bit more high-end than his older brother, but I question his discipline and maturity. Of course, he’s so young and has plenty of time to grow those aspects of himself and his game, he’s just a different player than his older brother.

If the Detroit Red Wings are looking for skill, Cole Eiserman just had a decent International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Under-18 Championship campaign:

So he would likely garner interest from the Detroit Red Wings. It would be funny to have a guy with such a similar name to Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman. Different name, similar pronunciation (especially for my easily confused brain).

At any rate, the Detroit Red Wings are going to be alright no matter the outcome of the draft lottery. I’d be happy with picking 15-16th or picking 5th, any of those options give me total confidence in the Detroit Red Wings ability to find a special player to help in the not-too-distant future.

I’m not a gambler, but I’d say regardless of where the Detroit Red Wings end up, think Brandsegg-Nygård is a new Detroit Red Wings prospect. Why? Well, he just passes the good vibes check.

Where do you think the Detroit Red Wings will pick?

How to watch the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery:

ESPN or ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET