Mocking Up the Draft and Staggering to the Finish Line
Hi everybody and welcome to Episode 39 of Season 2 of Red Wings Rant hosted by the Brothers of Discussion and brought to you by the Hockey Podcast Network. Where tirades and impassioned pleas about your Detroit Red Wings, finally, have a home.
The Wings are in the middle of someone else’s playoff race and are not fairing well. In the midst of a four-game stint with the Dallas Stars, the Wings have dropped the first two contests, allowing the Stars to jump into the 4th place position (from a points % perspective). Can the Wings play spoiler for the final two games?
We also look ahead to the NHL Draft and try to get familiar with a few prospects by a means of seeing who would be available after playing with the NHL Draft simulator.
We also play everyone’s favorite game: Who’s That Pokemon! And a brand new game! Red Wing goal cameos all over the scoresheet tonight, can Matt match the “Cameo” cost to the player??
Episode sponsored by Draft Kings. Use promo code 'THPN' to unlock exclusive offers when you sign up!
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Red Wings vs Stars - Through 2 Games
Red Wings are 0-1-1.
Wings need exceptional goaltending on 5-on-5 to win games and Bernier gave up 4 goals with an xGA of 1.13. Not everything can be attributed to Jonathan Bernier’s play, but that’s where the key descriptor of ‘exceptional’ slots in.
We did actually win the 5-on-5 battle for xGF%, but our lack of skill was on display. Even in Filppula’s goal, it appeared that his stick chunked more ice than it should’ve, so his success was an accident.
Larkin is the man though. Gets in a tussle and scores. A+.
2 more games against the Stars remain and they are in the tightest playoff battle in the league. I mentioned on Sunday that the Wings would really need to turn up the effort to stop a team desperately looking for a win. It appears, so far, that they have not done that.
Red Wings Rant Mock Draft 1.0
Owen Power - From Bob McKenzie “Stylistically, in large part because of his size and position, Power gets compared a lot to Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman, who went No. 2 overall, behind John Tavares in the 2009 NHL draft. It’s a fair comparison so long as it comes with this qualifier from another NHL scout: “He does look and play like Hedman but if you were comparing [Power] to Hedman at the same age in his draft year, Hedman would be better [than Power] in pretty much every facet of the game.”
Oskar Olausson - Pronman - “was impressive versus both juniors and pros this season, and has a lot of NHL elements in his game. He has NHL caliber speed and skill to go with good size, so you can easily envision him generating clean zone entries with control versus pros. Inside the offensive zone, he’s more of a shooter than a passer. He can make good plays and do so with pace, but his main offensive threat is his shot and ability to finish from range. Olausson works fine off the puck, he’ll get to the net and get back defensively, but he’s not overly physical.”
Danil Chayka - Pronman - Chayka has played limited minutes versus men this season, playing some junior games and going up and down for Russia’s U20 team over the course of the season. His very good stretches showed the promise of what you saw in the OHL. He’s a big defenseman who can skate like an NHLer and make a good first pass, which has a lot of value. The offense in his game will never be flashy, but he’s smart and quick enough to play well at faster paces. With his reach and feet, he’ll make enough stops to justify not having a ton of offense.
Dylan Duke - Wheeler - Duke’s 5-foot-10 and he’s an average skater whose feet can look a little heavy. Some scouts think that makes him more of a second-round pick than a late-first. And though I don’t feel particularly strongly one way or another about that debate, I think his overall skill and the way he operates off of the puck could free him up enough to warrant continued inclusion in this range. I often talk about the difference between skating and movement. The former is about mechanics, technique, and athleticism. The latter is about pathing and understanding how to use space. His skill at the latter is extremely impressive, and it’s complemented by a heavy shot, quick hands in traffic, and quick processing under pressure. Duke’s an opportunistic offensive zone player who is reliable off of the puck, though I probably wouldn’t call it a strength of his game.
