Who would Detroit take at 4?

[MBH]

It's the mostly likely place we draft.
And consensus seems to have Lafreniere, Stutzle, and Byfield gone in the top 3.
For awhile, a lot of people had Lucas Raymond as a likely fit at 4.
But things have changed since then.
Here's who's the highest ranked non-Lafreniere, Stutzle, Byfield player in the draft from various publications

McKeens: Raymond
Recruites: Sanderson
THN: Raymond
Pronman: Raymond
Wheeler: Rossi
ISS: Drysdale
Button: Perfetti
Kournianos: Perfetti
Red Line Report: Rossi

Click to read more...

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

sanderson should not be even a thought at 4

 

[ricky0034]

i'd be happy with either Raymond or Drysdale here(once I got over the initial disappointment of ending up with a Winger)

i'd be upset with Askarov or Lundell(Goalie and not enough upside respectively) and would sideeye a Sanderson pick with Drysdale still on the board

Rossi/Perfetti/Holtz I could get behind but wouldn't be happy about it

 

[lilidk]

I went to draft simulator , look at what RW needs more. Drysdale is #4 , but he isn't physical , Rossi is next and he answer 2 needs :playmaker and two-way C. I choose Rossi. Perfetti at #7 has all 3 our needs : playmaker , two way , goal scorer

 

[DInTheB]

I wouldn’t be shocked at all if we took Sanderson. My personal choice is Raymond with Rossi and Perfetti on his heels.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

Gimmie Drysdale at 4. Add him to the stable of young D and we are shaping up to have a fantastic D core.
When rebuilding I think you should build from the backend out anyways so taking Seider then Drysdale makes sense to me. Sure he's a righty but imo handness is not as important as skill. The Wings won cups with mostly LHD and I'm sure one of Seider / Drysdale / Hronek could play their off side. It's never a problem to have too many good Dmen, they make for great teams or great trade chips.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I'd personally choose Rossi but I won't have hurt feelings if they pick Lundell, either.

 

[HisNoodliness]

The way I see it the poll should only have 3 names on it:
Drysdale, IMO the clear BPA here. Awesome combination of skating, vision and all-around play. Would immediately be our best prospect and was my vote in the poll. Our relative strength at RD compared to the other prospect positions doesn't deter me much as we still need help everywhere.

Raymond: supremely skilled and arguably the highest upside in the draft period. If we're swinging for the fences, we're taking Raymond thinking that he can become a top producer possessing uniquely good offensive instincts.

Rossi: his production can't be ignored. If we're picking for need then Rossi addresses the desire for a top center. He can distribute the puck extremely well, plays the game the right way and we could run our offense through him if it all goes well.

Wouldn't be super happy with Holtz, Perfetti, or Lundell as I think the three above are strictly better prospects, but I could live with them. I'd be pissed off about Askarov or Sanderson. We shouldn't be using 4th overall on them. It's an unacceptable notion IMO.

 

[Retire91]

I just hope it wouldn't be a reach. I would like to see a conservative consensus BPA pick.

A 4th overall can be great with some luck. I am thinking of Lofontaine Yzerman, Drouin Jones

The cool thing about a 4th is someone can fall to you.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

We shouldn't be using 4th overall on them. It's an unacceptable notion IMO.

Exactly how I feel about Rossi. Top 5 on him would infuriate me. I will root for whatever guy they pick, but it will honestly be the most upset I have been about a pick in a long time.

 

[Christien]

I think it’ll either be Raymond or Drysdale. Went with Raymond

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I just hope it wouldn't be a reach. I would like to see a conservative consensus BPA pick.

A 4th overall can be great with some luck. I am thinking of Lofontaine Yzerman, Drouin Jones

The cool thing about a 4th is someone can fall to you.

Who is creating this consensus? A consensus of idiots is just that, a consensus of idiots.

 

[ArmChairGM89]

I want drysdale. I’d be ecstatic with Raymond. I’d be happy with holtz. Nervous with Rossi or Perfetti.

 

[GOZetterberg]

I'd go with Raymond, but I think Stevie would go with Rossi.

 

[Killerjas]

I like Holtz but I believe we already have a Holtz like player in Zadina. Would be happy with Raymond, Rossi or Drysdale.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Raymond>Perfetti>Holtz, and at this point I would restrict my options to only these three.

 

[Frk It]

I think Raymond would be such a great fit to what we have going. He is pretty much the perfect winger to play opposite Zadina. Right handed, great passer, great shot. Plus he has experience and success in playing with a guy who plays just like Zadina, in his linemate for Team Sweden in Holtz.

I think Zadina and Raymond could be the type of wingers that actually elevate whatever center you put on their line.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I: (i) prefer Raymond, (ii) won't mind Perfetti or Drysdale, (iii) won't cry if we take Rossi, (iv) have no interest in Holtz or Askarov, and (v) would prefer trading back if we are targeting Lundell.

 

[Konnan511]

Holtz! Holtz! Holtz!

 

[Winger98]

Raymond is the best forward on the board at that point, Askarov is arguably the best player. I'd go Raymond, but I"d rather deal down at that point.

 

[Retire91]

Who is creating this consensus? A consensus of idiots is just that, a consensus of idiots.

fair enough lol but when they announce the pick this year I don't want to be like wuuuuuut!

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

I went with Drysdale at #4, But wouldn't surprise me if we take Raymond either.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Raymond is the best forward on the board at that point, Askarov is arguably the best player. I'd go Raymond, but I"d rather deal down at that point.

Yup either Raymond at #4 or slide down 2 or 3 spots for the extra 2nd and take Askarov, Really can't go wrong with either one.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

I think Raymond would be such a great fit to what we have going. He is pretty much the perfect winger to play opposite Zadina. Right handed, great passer, great shot. Plus he has experience and success in playing with a guy who plays just like Zadina, in his linemate for Team Sweden in Holtz.

I think Zadina and Raymond could be the type of wingers that actually elevate whatever center you put on their line.

Honestly our future 2nd line of Raymond-Veleno-Zadina could be pretty sweet. I could get behind that.

 

[Bench]

Raymond is the best forward on the board at that point, Askarov is arguably the best player. I'd go Raymond, but I"d rather deal down at that point.

He really is. His talent is unreal. He's a freak athlete with incredible mobility and puck tracking. Now I know people are weary of goalies that didn't quite live up to the hype, ala Jack Campbell or Kari Lehtonen, but Askarov is not merely a big, positional goalie. His movement laterally is some of the best I've seen in, well, a very long time.

If you take Askarov, I think you're getting a sure bet to be a great NHL goalie for a long time. Like I don't feel even a little risk that you're getting a starter for the next decade with him.

Some of the defenders and forwards left, I don't know if the same is true. Obviously elite talent upfront would be preferable to a goalie. But if it's a really good forward versus an elite goalie, give me the goalie all day. And from everything Askarov shows, he's got that Carey Price elite talent written all over him.

Tangent time:
And for every snarky "What did the Canadians do with Price?" Sure, sure. What did the Islanders do with #1 overall elite center Tavares? What did the Stars do with Seguin AND Benn? And the Sharks with Thornton? The Sedins? Parise. Weber. Suter. Stamkos. Kovalchuk. And on and on. Just because a team doesn't cross the finish line doesn't mean having an elite goalie is a damn failure. Just like any of the aforementioned guys would be incredible top 5 picks in any draft, despite lack of shiny Cup success.

People just remember the elite goalies that haven't won. There's a ton of elite defenders and forwards that don't get it done, either.