10 years ago today, the Red Wings made a HUGE mistake!!
Let's set the stage, it was 2011-12 season, the Red Wings had Datsyuk the magician, Zetterberg, Lindstrom, Filppula, Franzen and many more players producing all great numbers and the team finished 5th in the Western Conference with a record of 48-28-6. With all these great players they felt they had a chance that season so they swung a trade who had been dealt already that day to bring in a defenceman who they knew very well.
The Detroit Red Wings traded Sebastien Piche and 1st round pick in the 2012 draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenceman Kyle Quincey. The Wings had originally drafted back in 2003 with the 132nd overall pick. Quincey was earlier traded
The Lightning had traded for Quincey earlier in the day for Steve Downie.
Unfortunately for the Wings, this traded did not pay off for them in the playoffs as they matched up against the Nashville predators who eliminated the Wings in 5 quick games.
Now this is where it goes from bad to worse. After losing to the Predators the pick they sent to the Lightning turned into the 19th overall pick.
We now know to this day that the 2012 draft was not the deepest draft with all star talent. It did produces top line players like Filip Forsberg, Tom Wilson, Morgan Rielly but not any franchise players. Atleast, not on forward or defence.
A draft that was heavily favoured on defence in the first round, we didn't see a goalie selected until, you guessed it, 19th. And who might that goalie have been?
The Tampa Bay Lightning selected with the Detroit Red Wings 19th pick, Andrei Vasilevskiy. Who for a few years now has been considered the best goalie in the NHL and back-to-back Stanley Cup champion.
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