Some Thoughts On The Michael Rasmussen Pick
By Nick Seguin
6 years agoAt tonight’s NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings selected Michael Rasmussen with the 9th overall pick. With lots of trade activity leading up to draft time, the team opted to hold on to their pick and select the best available player. But was Rasmussen the best player available at nine? I have some thoughts:
- Rasmussen was not my initial choice for this pick, but he’s 6’5″ and 200 lbs and growing. He is going to be an absolute monster in the corners and in front of the net. He has great possession and cycling skills as he uses his size to fend off defenders. He’ll be an asset who fetches the puck and feeds goalscorers such as Anthony Mantha.
- Speaking of net front presence, Rasmussen should help the Red Wings powerplay situation. Over the last two seasons, the Red Wings are only 17% on the powerplay. Last year, they hit historic lows as they were unable to convert for most of the season. Rasmussen’s size and possession skill will surely help connect with the shooters on the powerplay.
- “Grit” is a word that comes to mind when I think about Rasmussen. “Grit” is a word that also makes me think about Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan, and Luke Glendening. I don’t have the most positive association with the word. Rasmussen is a good two-way player. He’s responsible in his own end. I just hope he can also be creative with the puck and keep up with his speedy teammates on the breakout.
- I know I’ve mentioned his size a lot, but I do think that Detroit was looking to bulk up their top-6. At 6’5″, he is already the tallest player on the team, tied with Anthony Mantha. He’ll for sure lend a hand playing with some of the smaller guys on the team, like Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar.
- With Gabe Vilardi falling to nine, I’m a little stumped as to why the Wings passed on him. Bob McKenzie projected him going at 5th overall. He put up 61 points in 49 games for the Windsor Spitfires this season, adding another 6 points in 7 playoff games and 7 points in 4 Memorial Cup games. He will be a top-line centreman in the NHL who scores lots and lots of goals. It’s a role Detroit desperately needs to be filled.
- Instead, they selected Rasmussen who scored 55 goals in 50 games for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. He won’t be the offensive force that Vilardi will be for the Kings, which is a concern as Detroit ranked 25th in the league in Goals For. They need scoring bad, and they passed on scoring by passing on Gabe Vilardi.
- And how about Timothy Liljegren? I know that the Wings have some great prospects coming up the ranks, but their need for defense can’t be understated. Liljegren is right-handed, a great skater, and smart with the puck. He fell in the rankings due to missing most of the season with mononucleosis. What an absolute steal by Toronto at 17.
Overall, I get the overwhelming feeling that the Rasmussen pick was the wrong move by the Red Wings. He’ll be an NHL player, but he won’t be the top-line centre that they need him to be. It’s never bad to land a top-6 forward, there were just much better top-6 forwards available at 9th overall. And that’s not even bringing up defense.
I’m willing to hold out hope for Rasmussen. He does have a lot of potential and he will be a good hockey player. I just know that we are going to look back at this draft and shake our heads at all of the guys Detroit passed on. Buckle in, everyone. It’s going to be a long rebuild.
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