Awful drafting decision by former Detroit Red Wings' brass may have completely changed team history
For whatever reason, Detroit's former leadership group decided against picking local product Quinn Hughes in the 2018 NHL Draft, a decision that haunts them to this day.
A future Norris Trophy-winning defenseman who was destined to set multiple franchise records was free for the taking by Detroit Red Wings general manager and scouting director Tyler Wright in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Quinn Hughes, who played for the nearby University of Michigan in the Detroit suburb of Ann Arbor, was a highly regarded defenseman with the potential to be a franchise cornerstone.
But with the 6th pick, the Red Wings instead selected forward Filip Zadina, whom many scouts were surprised that was still available despite being mocked several times to teams like the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens.
Zadina was well aware of the teams who passed on him, and promised to get revenge on them with his now-infamous promise to "fill their net with pucks".
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks made Hughes the seventh overall pick.
And as it turns out, the two players could not have had a more polar opposite NHL career trajectory for two players selected with consecutive picks.
Hughes captured the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top blue liner last year, and has already equaled the Canucks' franchise record for most assists by a defenseman, tying beloved former Vancouver blue liner Alex Edler's mark of 310 assists.
What's more, Hughes is just 25 years old with many years of hockey ahead of him.
Conversely, Zadina struggled to score goals with the Red Wings and was eventually ditched to the San Jose Sharks ahead of last year; he's now out of the NHL and playing overseas.
He finished his NHL career with 41 goals and 91 points in 262 games; Hughes has 358 points (48G, 310A) in 387 games, and isn't even halfway through his NHL career.
| POLL | ||
Was drafting Filip Zadina over Quinn Hughes the worst mistake of Ken Holland's later years with the Red Wings? | ||
