It’s not like it hasn’t happened in the past. Just last season, we saw a top prospect in Cole Eiserman free-fall to the New York Islanders in Round 1, so it’s not too far-fetched. Maybe the Red Wings will be lucky enough to see one of the top five prospects fall to them if and when they’re on the clock with the 13th selection. That’s if they don’t trade the pick.
But the question is, who? One player I’ll rule out immediately is Michael Misa. If there was ever someone who should be the surefire No. 1 pick in the draft, it’s Misa, even if so many mock drafts say otherwise. But hey, he’s got NHL size, he put up 134 points this past season, and he looked every bit the part of a future star.
So if I’m the Islanders, I’m just making the selection now, over a month before the draft. Meanwhile, Matthew Schaefer could scare off some teams because he missed a significant portion of the season. Then, there’s Porter Martone, but he’s got way too much size and productivity to drop too far past the fifth pick.
One player who can drop to the Red Wings at 13th overall
That leaves two players: Anton Frondell and James Hagens. And to be honest, Frondell impressed me way too much in Sweden’s second-tier league and in international play, so that leaves Hagens. He can be a playmaker, but there’s nothing about Hagens that would make me go out of my way to take him in the top five.
He’s got average size compared to the other four; his play didn’t wow me the way it should have this past season at Boston College, and his productivity was, well, kind of flat. Overall, my impression of Hagens was ‘meh,’ if you want the honest truth.
I’m much more impressed with Caleb Desnoyers, Jake O’Brien, and Jackson Smith. I could see that trio also going ahead of Hagens, and along with Carter Bear and maybe Radim Mrtka. Yeah, it would take some luck, considering how well Hagens has played in the past, and he’ll be a hot topic in many draft rooms. But he’s the prime candidate to fall.
If James Hagens falls, the Red Wings need to take him regardless
Ideally, James Hagens would return to school and keep seasoning his game. He was solid this past season with the Eagles, but a player of his caliber needs to be more than that. He’s got to be exceptional and he fell short. That said, he’ll figure it out, and Red Wings fans will be grateful two, three, or even four years from today should he be available at No. 13.
In every draft, at least one player falls into the middle of the round who we never thought would, and Hagens looks like the prime candidate as of now. Yes, he has potential and maybe a team in the top five will see that potential and draft him. Heck, it’s the likeliest case and the Wings would need to look elsewhere. But it wouldn’t surprise me one iota if he fell.
We’ll see if Hagens is the free-faller on draft day or if it’s another projected top-five pick. I’d be every bit as grateful if it were Porter Martone or Anton Frondell, but they’ve both shown more than Hagens has. So, if there’s one player in the top five you’ll want to keep an eye on, it’s Hagens.
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