Quit For Quinton Or Lose For Lafrenière?

By the looks of it, the Detroit Red Wings are tanking.

General Manager Steve Yzerman decided to send Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, Oliwer Kaski and Moritz Seider down to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

You could make an argument that Veleno, Rasmussen, Zadina and Kaski are worthy of playing time at the NHL level.

Seider needs some time at the AHL level, but he might be the only one out of the bunch that was more than likely headed down to the AHL. He was outstanding during pre-season play, but due to his age and getting used to playing in North America, it made the most sense for him to play with the Griffins.

Veleno could have provided a solid one-two punch with Dylan Larkin. Zadina could have been by his side at the NHL level and sniping home goal after goal. Rasmussen would have been a quality depth forward. Kaski is an exceptional puck mover, who the Red Wings only could have benefited from having him at the NHL level.

Does it make sense to send them down to the AHL? The answer is yes.

For more insight on the Red Wings sending their prospects down to the AHL, check out Tony Ferrari’s (@TheTonyFerrari) new post on WingsNation below:

It was not that long ago that the Houston Astros tanked in order to grab Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker in the MLB Entry Draft. Last season in the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans tanked for budding star Zion Williamson. The Toronto Maple Leafs tanked for Auston Matthews. At the time, the Maple Leafs had William Nylander playing in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies, but Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment knew that calling up Nylander would have hurt their chances at snagging Matthews in the draft.

Is tanking fair to the fan base? Absolutely.

It might sting at first. Seeing your team lose games on purpose is an awful feeling. It sucks. Red Wings fans want to come to games and see their team have a ton of success. It was not that long ago when Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Osgood were dominating the NHL and were part of one of the best dynasties in hockey history. The Red Wings fan base would love to see a new dynasty formed.

Unfortunately, that means Detroit will have to suffer for a season or two to make it happen. The good news is that if the Red Wings are successful at tanking, they will end up with a solid first round draft pick. The 2020 NHL Entry Draft might be one of the best draft classes and if the Red Wings can pull off a tanking season, they will only benefit from it long-term.

They could have a shot at Alexis Lafrenière (Rimouski Oceanic, Left Wing), Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves, Centre), Lucas Raymond (Frölunda HC, Right Wing), Alexander Holtz (Djurgårdens IF, Left Wing/Right Wing) or Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters, Right Handed Defenseman).

Lafrenière is one of the most dynamic prospects that we have seen in a while. His stick handling is top-notch. He makes incredible plays with the puck and has outstanding puck control. If you do not believe me, take a look at the below GIFs from Andy Lehoux (@AndyLehoux1).

So far this season, Lafrenière has tallied three goals and ten assists in five games for the Oceanic. His points per game are off the charts. Even when he fails to put his name on the score sheet he still looks flawless. He loves to control the puck in the offensive zone and creates scoring chance after scoring chance.

Quinton Byfield might be just as talented as Lafrenière. Byfield has already drawn comparisons to Evgeni Malkin and Eric Lindros. His puck control is elite. Take a look at the GIF below from Caitlin Berry (@Caitlinsports) and you will see just how impressive Byfield is with the puck on his blade.

Yet, there are times Byfield will make an error or two. He does not sulk after he coughs up the puck, rather, he makes up for it. In the GIF below from Sam Stern (@SternScouting), you will see Byfield cough up the puck, but he goes right back for it. Turns on his “elite footwork” and finds a way to initiate a scoring chance and put the puck in the back of the net.

If Detroit fails to land Lafrenière or Byfield, it is not the end of the world. Holtz, Raymond and Drysdale are all exceptionally talented hockey players and could be just what the Red Wings need to jumpstart their offensive production.

Holtz and Raymond are both elite Swedish prospects. They are dominant playmakers.

Raymond looks like an up and coming Mitchell Marner. He has great speed, elite puck control and has a nose for the net. In the GIF below, you will see Raymond turn on the jets, maneuver his way around traffic and skate hard towards the net.

As I mentioned above, there is always Alexander Holtz too. Holtz has one of the best shots in the 2020 NHL Draft class and shows it off in the below GIF from Anton Johansson (@Antonj85). This shootout goal is exceptional. Holtz picks his corners well. Rather then trying to go five hole or delivering a deke right in front of the net-minder, he goes top shelf. His accuracy is on point and could blossom into an elite sniper.

Last but not least, there is Jamie Drysdale. Drysdale is the top defenseman in the 2020 class. He is one of the best skaters in the class. His edges and lateral movements are outstanding. In the GIF below, you can check out Drysdale utilizing his edges and lateral movements as he glides the puck away from traffic.

In addition, Drysdale has a cannon of a shot and can be a valuable asset on the power play. He does an excellent job from the point and delivers crisp passes.

All-in-all, there is a tremendous amount of talent in the 2020 Draft Class and the Red Wings will only benefit long-term by tanking in order to land one of them.

For more NHL Draft related information, I highly recommend checking out my draft database (includes my rankings, content to check out, draft analysts and more). In addition, Colin Cudmore of Silver Seven Sens (@CudmoreColin) has put together a combined draft rankings (composed of rankings from over 30+ analysts).