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7117 In my previous entry, I looked at Detroit’s lost season in its historical and organizational context. (Click the 7117 link to read it). Lyle Richardson took a crack at the overwhelming task ahead of putting the roster together next year as well as thoughts on players who have seen their last days in a Wings jersey. (I’d not mentioned his thoughts on Sam Gagner moving on, as I believe he may well be back)
With the upcoming draft, the possibility appears once more that Detroit could see a potential roster player coming out of the top 4. It didn’t happen last year, but many thought that Seider has already shown flashes that put him far ahead of the normal curve of a typical teenage defenseman.
PHR AHL Standouts I was pleasantly surprised to see Gavin Lee heap some praises on Detroit’s 4th overall pick from 2019. It’s the same story we’ve heard for a couple months now. At 18 years old (Seider just recently turned 19) Moritz recorded 22 points in the AHL and was seeing up to 23 minutes of ice time. There is a general amount of surprise from the Griffins coaching staff all the way up to Steve Yzerman. The Hope was 16 - 18 minutes and see how he developed. Moritz now looks to be a very real candidate to play with the big club next year.
Past all the RFA/UFA decision making is the possibility of internal promotion. Svechnikov and Smith will no longer be waiver exempt, and Rasmussen is nearing the “make or break” point as well. Cholowski, McIsaac and Hicketts will all get another look. If Hirose is extended, he’s going to want to try and prove that he can contribute at the NHL level as well. That’s a possible 7 or 8 prospects who are motivated to try and stick. The final name, and the subject of another write up by Gavin Lee, is Joe Veleno.
Joe Veleno Scroll down to the bottom of that article to read Gavin’s thoughts. Essentially a teenager for most of the season, Veleno’s numbers (23 points in 54 games) may not jump off the paper. However, as with Detroit, Grand Rapids found themselves in such dire straits in scoring that JVs 11 goals tied him for 3rd. In the pre season, Veleno seemed to have surpassed Zadina as he had an excellent camp. But, as the season progressed, Zadina used an opportunity for a call up to his benefit and stuck with the club. In 28 games, the surprise 6th overall pick in 2018 recorded 8 goals and 7 assists. He was on pace for 20+ in a full season at 19/20. Finding his spots and getting his shots off more quickly, Zadina showed flashes of what Detroit had hoped for in drafting him.
As for Veleno, his development also brings an interesting caveat. “IF” Detroit drafts Lafreniere, is it a foregone conclusion that he and Veleno will be reunited on a line as they were for Team Canada? It’s beyond exciting and fascinating. You’re now looking at a team where Zadina and Veleno could be impacting the score sheet in support of Larkin/Mantha/Bertuzzi/Fabbri and I believe Gagner. The most likely scenario of Detroit not picking first still bings an interesting thought of Gagner centering Zadina and Veleno, at least in preseason. Veleno is a center, but will likely need time to adjust. He could also end up on a line with Filppula and Svechnikov. Even that has some intrigue to it.
In short, Ken Holland’s last draft may have been one of his better in recent history. Larkin and Mantha are still the prizes thus far, but the draft that yielded Zadina/Veleno/McIsaac and Berggren may yet prove to be critical to the rebuild.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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