Red Wings looking to shore up blue line and center position

DETROIT --It should be an eventful weekend for the Red Wings at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in Dallas.
Like last year, Detroit enters this draft with 11 selections, which includes four picks in the top 36 and eight picks in the top 98.

If everything stands pat, here is how Detroit's draft selection breaks down:
Round 1: (Friday, June 22nd)
6th pick
30th pick (from Vegas, Tomas Tatar deal)
Round 2: (Rounds two through seven - Saturday, June 23rd)
33rd pick (from Ottawa via NY Rangers, Brendan Smith deal)
36th pick
Round 3:
67th pick
81st pick (from Philadelphia, Petr Mrazek deal)
84th pick (from Pittsburgh, Riley Sheahan deal)
Round 4:
98th pick
Round 5:
No pick, sent to Pittsburgh as part of the Sheahan trade.
Round 6:
159th pick (from Montreal, Steve Ott deal)
160th pick
Round 7:
191st pick
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has been adamant that he expects two to five prospects to make Detroit's opening night roster when the Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 4, regardless of what the club does in free agency or moves they may make with players currently on the team.
Holland wants Detroit to be a younger, faster and more aggressive team that will be difficult to play against.
One of the only certainties about this offseason is the Red Wings will sign a backup goalie in free agency since they have only two under contract in the organization - starter Jimmy Howard and Slovakian Patrik Rybar, who's slated to be the Grand Rapids Griffins starter this season.
Heading into this weekend's draft, the consensus among the Wings brass is they need to increase their offensive output. It's Detroit top priority.
This year's draft is considered one of the deepest in recent memory with a number of gifted defensemen with an array of offensive skills, a pressing need for the Red Wings.
On the latest episode of The Red and White Authority podcast, Craig Button, TSN's director of scouting, appeared as a guest, giving an overview of the draft, assessing some of the top prospects and offering his insights into what the Wings may do with their two first-round picks.
The Red and White Authority - Craig Button
"Every draft has its own unique DNA," Button said. "It's this draft class, it's this group of players, there's going to be some good defensemen come out of this draft, there's going to be some good centermen, there's going to be some goaltenders that will end up playing and there's going to be some good wingers.
"So much of the time a draft gets defined by the upper end of it, so when a Connor McDavid, an Auston Matthews or a Jack Eichel come along we say, 'Oh, that's a great draft.'
"You have to be realistic about it (the players). You have to be realistic about ultimately what is their potential and No. 2, what is the time frame of them achieving that potential? You really have to understand those two things to help (the development) along."
Though Button feels patience must be practiced with most draft picks, he admits this year's top three prospects of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, right wing Andrei Svechnikov and left wing Filip Zadina are a cut above and should make contributions this season for the NHL teams that select them.
After the top three, the opinions on the remaining top 20 or so prospects are all over the board.
Dahlin will be picked first overall by Buffalo unless something cataclysmic happens. Svechnikov is destined to be chosen by Carolina and despite the mixed signals coming out of Montreal, if the Canadiens hold onto the third pick, Zadina would be difficult to pass up.
If there is a player the Red Wings covet and would like to trade up for, it is Zadina. He fits the bill for what they really want: a high-end talent with great vision, playmaking ability, shoot-first mentality, terrific instincts and an accurate shot. He also prides himself as a two-way player.
It's doubtful Zadina will be around when the Wings select at No. 6 and depending on how the top five picks play out, there is always a possibility Detroit could repeat their first-round history and trade down.
But, for our purposes, we will keep the Red Wings with the sixth overall pick and list a group of players (along with Button's comments) that the Wings will likely choose from with the sixth pick.
Evan Bouchard: Defenseman, 6-foot-2, 193 pounds. Shoots: Right, Team: London (OHL), Stats: GP-67 G-25 Pts-87
Button's view: "You know who he reminds me of? He reminds me of former Wing and Hall of Famer Larry Murphy. He just gets out and he plays. He makes the plays in the defensive zone, he makes the plays in transition, he makes the plays in the offensive zone. When you're in the offensive zone, you have to be able to make plays to create offense through sticks, under sticks, through skates and really understand where the opportunities are. Evan Bouchard has all those qualities. His shot gets through, his passes are precise, his vision is outstanding. So, if you get yourself open with an offensive player, he's going to find a way to get the puck to you. He's not a relaxed player, but he plays a relaxed style of the game. It just seems that he goes right at the pace that's just a notch above the rest of the game. He's so smart, he's so economical in terms of understanding what he has to do. I don't know how you measure mental effort but I'll tell you what, he doesn't waste a lot of physical effort doing things that are unnecessary. I really do think he's a terrific player."
Quinn Hughes, Defenseman, 5-foot-9, 168 pounds. Shoots: Left, Team: Michigan (NCAA), Stats: GP-37 G-5 Pts-29
Button's view: "(Detroit) should be high on him. One of things that I think (with) defensemen, it's a real necessity, whether you're 6-foot-4 or you're 5-foot-9, you have to be able to have leverage in terms of being able to defend and also in terms of being able to gain a leverage to take a player off the puck or to gain a corner and to get an edge so you can move the puck up and out of the ice and get out of pressure situations. I think Quinn does that exceptionally well. I think he has the leverage to defend. I think he has the leverage to be able to beat pressure and to get the puck moving up the ice. I really think that the NHL game will suit Quinn Hughes to a great extent because he's so smart, his thinking process is outstanding. At times you'll say, oh, he holds onto the puck. Well, you can say he holds onto the puck but a lot of times he's holding onto the puck because No. 1, he doesn't want to give it away and because No. 2, there's not a play to be made and it's because a player didn't get open or a player didn't understand what he was trying to do. When you're playing with the best players, the smartest players, which is what the NHL is about, that translates and I think Quinn's got a chance to be a terrific, terrific, real go-to defenseman."
Noah Dobson: Defenseman, 6-foot-3, 180 pounds. Shoots: Right, Team: Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL), Stats: GP-67 G-17 Pts-69
Button's view:"He's a fully complete three-zone player. I'm not so sure that Noah is going to be as prolific offensively as Evan (Bouchard) but I do believe that he's going to contribute points in a really important fashion. But he's going to kill penalties and he's going to make sure that when he has the puck on his stick in the defensive zone, it's coming out quickly and it's coming out cleanly. To create offense, the first thing you have to be able to do is make sure you're not spending time in your defensive zone. That's where teams run into a lot of problems. You can say that they don't have offense, they didn't score, but usually you can trace it back to not being able to get out of your own zone. Noah is very good that way. He's smart, he knows how to take opponents off the puck, he knows how to get himself in good position to take advantage. He doesn't try to force plays. He seems to know exactly what play has to be made and there's just this real, real efficiency to his game, one of those players at the end of the night, you go, 'He played 27 minutes' or 'He played 28 minutes? How did he do that?' But he does it because he's really smart and he really understands how the game needs to be played at any given moment."
Adam Boqvist: Defenseman, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds. Shoots: Right, Team: Brynas (SWE J20), Stats: GP-25 G-14 Pts-24
Button's view:"He's a dynamic offensive defenseman. When he puts those skills on display, it really is something special, the style of game that Erik Karlsson plays. Certainly, Adam idolizes Erik Karlsson and he has some similar attributes. I think the biggest thing for Adam over the course of this year (he) had a lot of what I would call disinterested moments. Unfortunately, when you're trying to play in the National Hockey League, there is no time for disinterested moments. There are situations that are uncomfortable but you have to get invested in them, you have to dig in on them. To me, Adam Boqvist's playing attitude has to get a lot better. He's more than capable but if you're going to just bypass this play just because you didn't feel like doing it, or you're just going to bypass that play, oh, because I don't feel like doing it, that's not going to endear you to coaches, it's not going to endear you to teammates and it's going to hinder your own abilities and your areas of strength. I had somebody tell me, he said, 'Well, you got to understand the game was easy for Adam lots of times.' I said, 'Let me just tell you this. I watched Connor McDavid play in junior, the game was easy for him, too. He played every shift all the time with a real urgency and a real determination. So, don't tell me that it's easy and that's an excuse for not taking things seriously.' That's an area that I think (needs) development but when you're trying to choose between players, this is where the interview process and getting to know a player and understand a player comes really into full focus."
Brady Tkachuk: Left Wing, 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. Shoots: Left, Team: Boston University (NCAA), Stats: GP-40 G-8 Pts-31
Button's view:"One of the things about Brady - and I've watched him for a long time - I keep hearing about his intangibles. They're good. I know he's got an edge, I know he gets under the opponents' skin, I know he's competitive and hard-nosed. His tangibles are really, really good. His skating is good. With physical maturity and strength, it's only going to get that much better. He's got excellent hands. He makes plays. We talk about making plays in tight, around the net and in traffic and everything, exactly what he does. Exceptional hockey sense. He understands what play needs to be made anywhere on the ice and it could be a hit, it could be a poke check, it could be a pass, it could be a goal. He understands those situations in the game. He is that player that gets the temperature of the game and he understands at any moment in time, this is what I can do and this is what I am going to do. Then you add in the other factor, he makes life completely uncomfortable with his skills, tangibles, and his intangibles, for opponents. It is zero fun to play against him. Those are guys you want on your team."
Oliver Wahlstrom: Right Wing, 6-foot-1, 198 pounds. Shoots: Right, Team: U.S. NTDP U-18 (USHL), Stats: GP-54 G-40 Pts-83
Button's view:"I think he can beat you in three ways. He can beat you with the velocity of his shot, he can beat you with the quickness of his release and he can beat you with accuracy. Goaltenders know where he's setting up, they know where it's coming from and they still can't stop it. He's a very, very gifted goal scorer. Mike Bossy used to get the puck off his stick exceptionally quick. Wahlstrom does that. He shoots it with the power like (Alex) Ovechkin does and when you look at a player like Brock Boeser, who shoots with tremendous accuracy, that's what I see in Wahlstrom. You get him with a good centerman, Wahlstrom is going to be open, he's going to understand where those opportunities are and he's going to make good on them. He gets lots of shots, he breaks down defenses because not only do you have to defend against him, but his shot is lively. So now goaltenders can't get it clean. Even if he doesn't beat them, they're fumbling to try to control it and that creates other opportunities. So, to me, he is the best goal scorer in this draft."
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Center, 6-foot-2, 188 pounds. Shoots: Left, Team: Assat (SM Liiga), Stats: GP-57 G-10 Pts-29
Button's view:"I can only tell you this, he reminds me of (Anze) Kopitar. He's a complete, No. 1, two-way centerman. He can do it all - defense, offense, no fun playing against, takes you off the puck, he takes you out of your space, he creates opportunity, he's workmanlike and I think he's got tremendous growth in front of him. If he can even come anywhere close to being what Kopitar is or Aleksandr Barkov down in Florida, you're getting a good player. I think that he is a good player and I think watching him over the course of the last two years, just improved. As he improved and got stronger, he became more confident. As he became more confident, he became more assertive. As he became more assertive, he became more impactful. I don't know where you find centermen like this. If you don't draft them, teams aren't giving them up. I think that he's a terrific player."
Barrett Hayton, Center, 6-foot-1, 191 pounds. Shoots: Left, Team: Sault Ste. Marie (OHL), Stats: GP-63 G-21 Pts-60
Button's view: "I'll tell you who Barrett reminds me of and when I use player types, I'm talking more about the style of game they play. I'm not saying they're going to be this player. He reminds me of Patrice Bergeron. And I go all the way back to scouting Patrice Bergeron and when I watch Barrett, I see some of the same similarities in his game. Even when I hear about, oh, has Barrett got enough offensive upside, it was the same thing you heard about Patrice Bergeron. Patrice Bergeron is never going to be a leading scorer in the league or maybe even a leading scorer on his team, but when you watch the game and a player is in the right spot on the ice all the time, you start to go, boy, that player can make an impact. That's exactly what Bergeron is and to me, that's exactly what Barrett Hayton is. I think that he can be a 65-70 point guy on a consistent basis. But I think he's going to help you in so many different ways. When we talk about Patrice Bergeron, we talk about an elite centerman. He's won four Selkes. I think Hayton has a similar style of game. So where do you find those guys? You don't. You have to draft them when you see them and I go back to that range. Maybe he won't be an 85-point centerman, but I'll tell you what, I'll take 65 points, 70 points and everything else he does because those are big contributions in other areas of the game."
When Button was asked which player, he thinks the Red Wings will eventually choose with the sixth overall pick, he narrowed it down to three.
"I think it really comes down to one of those three defensemen - Quinn Hughes, Noah Dobson or Evan Bouchard," Button said. "I'd love to be able to tell you I think this guy is better than that guy or that guy is better than that guy. I will say this, I don't think they can go wrong with any one of the three. I think that they all have the ability to be top-pair defensemen in the National Hockey League.
"Again, I don't know where you find them, that's where you have to draft them if you want to get those types of players. That's where the good discussions and the good debates and the internal ideas about what a player can be and what you prefer could come into play here for the draft."
With the 30th pick, Button expects Detroit to take a centerman and there are a few he likes, including Ty Dellandrea of the OHL's Flint Firebirds, who may not be around at 30 and Cameron Hillis of Guelph (OHL), whom Button admits is a bit of a dark horse.
"Ty Dellandrea, to me is never going to be a No. 1 center. But, he can be a No. 2 or 3 center," Button said. "If (Detroit wants) one of these centers here, (Dellandrea) is somebody that's really industrious, really competitive, really can play in a lot of different areas of the game and you've got one of those top-pair defensemen (with the sixth pick), now you're looking at geez, that's not a bad trade-off there.
"That's how I think you have to look as the draft goes on, you look at what, in that area of the draft, what is potentially there that we could really take advantage of that can help us build up in all those key areas. "I'm just saying that's the type of thinking that I think not only goes into six, because you have to be considering 30 as well."