Detroit Red Wings: Tanking for Jack Hughes makes sense
By Tyler Samson
With the Detroit Red Wings ultimately out of the playoffs, they should purposely slump to increase their chances in drafting prospect Jack Hughes.
The Detroit Red Wings hopes of making the 2018-19 playoffs are almost entirely out of the question. This leaves them to plan for success in the future. The key to future glory for the Wings will derive on drafting a franchise player in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Out of all the players in the 2019 draft, prospect Jack Hughes is the sure fire player that shows signs of future NHL stardom.
Hughes has been nothing but a stud for the USHL, USDP, and the United States World Junior Championship team. In any circumstance he is placed in, he proves to be a point-producing player that can bring out the best play from his teammates. With the United States World Junior Championship team, Hughes has won a silver medal twice and a gold medal with the U17 team.
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His talent is well represented and acknowledged with the numerous awards he has won. In the USHL in 2018, Hughes won the Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award, an award given to the best player in the USHL. With the United States in the World Junior Championship in 2018, he won Tournament MVP and was awarded a roster spot on the IIHF World U18 Championships All-Star Team.
As of now, the Red Wings are the worst team in the NHL with 43 points. The fight for last place and the best position for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft is destined to be a tough one as the Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils all have 43 points as well.
The Red Wings have done a great job of losing games by not getting blown out and giving the young players opportunities. Throughout the season, they have shown signs of absolute brilliance, especially from young players like Athanasiou and Bertuzzi.
In their games, the Red Wings will usually control the first two periods and then slip in the third period, ultimately losing games by one or two goals. It seems as if the Wings are losing, at times, to help seal their spot in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft to snag Hughes or one of the other top prospects.
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If the Wings hope to get a young player that is being compared to Auston Matthews, they must lose games to ensure they get the first overall pick. Hughes has proved in his young career thus far that he is NHL ready and he has all the tools to be a star.