Alex Cotton experienced a rare offensive surge for a defenseman between his first and second season of major junior hockey.

That made him an intriguing prospect for the Detroit Red Wings to select in the fifth round of this year’s draft.

If a fifth rounder contributes at the NHL level, that’s a huge win. Maybe Cotton will be one of those wins.

Around the NHL

That's the issue the Lightning face moving forward, and Ryan Kennedy does a great job at highlighting the challenge ahead after the Sergachev news. But what about the rest of the league's top RFAs?