What Should the Red Wings Do with Pick 15?

At most, there are three games remaining in the 2023-24 NHL season; at fewest, there is just one.  That means we are just 10 days away from the 2024 NHL Draft, where the Red Wings hold the 15th pick.

Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman announces Marco Kasper (not pictured) as the number eight overall pick to the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre

On the most recent episode of The Silky Mitten State, my co-host Connor Earegood and I discussed Detroit's options with the pick.  Previously, we've argued that there is no reason for the Red Wings to trade the pick just to trade it, but that it could very well make sense as part of a deal for a current roster player.  On this week's show, Connor made the case, drawing on argument he'd made earlier in the week:

The overall value of the 15th pick is an important consideration for how the Red Wings use it. If they trade up — New Jersey and Buffalo are reportedly shopping the 10th and 11th picks, respectively — that could give Detroit a shot at getting one of those top two wingers in Demidov or Iginla. However, the cost of such an upgrade has to make sense compared to who will be available at 15th. In a way, the Red Wings aren’t trading up four or five spots in the draft so much as they’re trading up one spot in the winger depth chart, and this shapes the calculus for any trade negotiations that take place. Maybe a center like Helenius or Catton could be a good investment at 10th or 11th because they have the versatility to play both winger or center, but the Red Wings can also get comparable value from a true winger later in the draft. If Detroit doesn't have to spend extra for a center just to stick them on the wing, it shouldn't.

For an excerpt from our conversation, check out the clip above.  For the full episode, visit Spotify or Apple Podcasts:

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