Like all things Detroit Red Wings, there's good news and bad news.
The good news is that the Red Wings' first round pick didn't move up, giving the St. Louis Blues a top-five pick. The bad news is that the Red Wings don't pick in the draft until the second round.
According to Tankathon, this is the order the Red Wings will pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft:
- 2nd round, 47th overall
- 3rd round, 79th overall
- 5th round, 143rd overall
- 6th round, 175th overall
- 7th round, 196th overall (acquired from the Calgary Flames in last year's draft)
- 7th round, 207th overall
Without a first and a fourth round pick, the Red Wings are left with just six picks this draft -- the lowest they've had since 2015, nearly 11 years ago. That draft saw the Red Wings select Evgeny Svechnikov 19th overall. He and fellow draft mate Chase Pearson have 175 career NHL games under their belts.
Ideally, this draft goes a little better for the Red Wings, who don't pick until the midway point of the second round.
Draft steals are historic precedence for Red Wings
That said, the Red Wings have never been one to look at a situation like this as a setback. Late round draft steals are practically embedded into their DNA. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk were seventh and sixth round picks, respectively. Nick Lidstrom - who some may argue is the greatest defensemen of all time - was a third round pick. Sergei Fedorov, who just had his number retired by the organization last season, was selected 74th overall.
Now, of course, expecting a Zetterberg or Fedorov-caliber player with each late round pick is wishful thinking at best. But late round steals are still a huge part of Detroit's identity. Just two drafts ago, the Red Wings selected Emmitt Finnie with the 201st pick. At 20 years of age, he fought his way onto the roster and looks to be a key contributor moving forward.
Carter Mazur, a third round pick, looks to round out Detroit's new-look bottom-six as they seek to revamp the depth. Even former Red Wing Elmer Soderblom, selected 159th overall, is an NHL-caliber player. To assume the Red Wings won't secure a key player late in the draft is both pessimistic and antithetical to the core foundation of the Red Wings.
Is it wishful thinking? Absolutely. Overly optimistic? Most definitely. But it is not impossible. Samuel Girard, selected 47th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2016, is one of their steadiest defensemen. Matt Benning, who played 450 games at the NHL level, was selected 175th overall in 2012 by the Boston Bruins.
It's very unlikely that the Red Wings secure a superstar late in this round. But why settle for pessimism when there's a chance - however small - that something special happens?
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