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A long break For Detroit was in the cards. We knew it and had accepted it. The “soothing balm” was a potential shift in the draft lotto format that would finally keep the Red Wings from being screwed over. Well, that balm is gone. You can now have your crap cake and eat it too, as Bettman has insulated himself against the wrath of first round upsets. The prizes? Lafreniere, Byfield and Stutzle. One, two, or possibly all three to be sent along to the teams who get upset by the 24 team format.
The Free Press Spelled it out. The first three picks are all up for grabs (as opposed to just one winner), and someone could jump 14 spaces. Last year’s draft-job was laughable. Two of the top earning teams in the league, worried about their season ticket holders and advertising, magically get to pick 2 and 3. New Jersey is the Red Herring. Before this, an owner threatens to move his team and voila, McDavid. Even the Sydney Crosby pick had several people curious about the sketchy details of the draft. Was Pittsburgh on the verge of losing the franchise? Who knows. In fact, all of it is the worst kind of speculation that I typically avoid. It’s pure fantasy at best and the disgusting reality of back room dealings at worst. However you see it (bad luck or bad theatre) the draft tends to favor teams that are, well, more favorable.
In all fairness, I will allow anyone who has put forth their draft picks to change them. It’s time to go back to picking 4th. At that point, Stutzle and Byfield will be gone. Drysdale may well be Detroit’s newest addition. I’m curious on your feelings. Let them out. This feels as nasty as it can be. Someone made the point that Toronto could be knocked out in the first round and pick first overall. That would help them nicely with the cap crunch at forward. This may well have stemmed from some complaints out of Carolina. The team is facing New York in the first elimination round. NYR has some serious fire power. And, their goalies could come in hot. Not good news for the Hurricanes. This scenario is at the heart of the draft lottery finagling. It’s the WIIFM for teams that come back and can’t find their game against a team that should have been eliminated.
The initial shock, followed by anger, followed by more anger, is eventually replaced with awe and wonder. Specifically, draft eligible players and their junior/international/college teams. The draft will be held after the playoffs are over. By that time, some of the international programs are already in their own camps (typically). It will be interesting to see the trickle down from the format. For most, they will probably just report to those camps and know that is where they will spend the season. Development camps may not be on the docket at all, or may be in a much looser format. There are a lot of moving pieces that we tend to take for granted.
So, for now we just wait. Approximately one month until the draft lottery (you may want to skip it and just read the headlines later) and a few weeks until phase 2 can begin. There is a road forward and that is good news. However, Detroit will have to accept that nasty place of low to no priority for Bettman and the front office. The team has a new arena and are selling tickets. There’s no land scandal or ridiculous owner issues that could screw things up. There’s no concern of losing a major advertising partner because they know the drill. It’s a rebuild, and it feels like it just got a little longer.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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