from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,
Now, first-round picks are important. But for an organization like the Wings, those picks in the second, third, and fourth round and beyond are just as vital.
“You need some of those picks to turn into players,” general manager Steve Yzerman said. “If it’s just going to be we’re doing to draft and count on our first-round pick playing every year, it’s going to take forever to build a good team.”
Given their trading of veterans on expiring contacts at the trade deadline the last several years, the Wings have stockpiled a particularly deep treasure chest this year.