Players Detroit Red Wings Should Consider Trading Up for in 2014 NHL Draft

The Detroit Red Wings hold the 15th selection in the 2014 NHL Draft and with that positioning, they have some flexibility as far as moving up or moving down goes.

It has been some years since the Red Wings have held a top-10 pick, 1991 being the last time that such an event happened, when Detroit took Martin Lapointe at 10th overall.

The Red Wings need to take a hard look at trading up in the first round this season. There is some top-end talent among the first 10 picks instead of just the usual first two or three selections.

More importantly, there are some teams in the top 10 who could afford to slide down to the 15th spot without seriously damaging the quality of player that they would take.

Here are four players that the Detroit Red Wings should consider trading up for in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Note: These players will be "available" in this slideshow based on the Red Wings trading with the team that would potentially take the player at the spot the other team is currently picking.

Aaron Ekblad

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Aaron Ekblad, simply put, is the best defenseman available in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft according to Craig Button of TSN and it isn't difficult to see why.

The right-handed shooting Ekblad put up 23 goals last season and already clocks in at a massive 6'4" and 216 pounds, making him NHL-ready for almost any team in the league.

If selected by Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wings, Ekblad would be a no-brainer to play at the NHL level in his first season. The typical "spend three years in the minors and then maybe get the call" mantra that has been Detroit's philosophy over the past decade or so should not apply for Ekblad.

Why He's The Right Guy For Detroit

Don't look too far to try and over rationalize this decision. The Red Wings were without a full-time right-handed defenseman last season and also without a power-play quarterback. 

Ekblad (over the short- and long-term) would solve both problems. He is physically ready to play in this league and has what should turn out to be 15-18 productive years in front of him, meaning he would more than offset any players returning the other direction.

Which Team Should They Trade With?

If the Red Wings are serious about getting Ekblad, they should expect to be trading with the Florida Panthers, as Ekblad could go first, second or third in the draft. While the Panthers need defense, they were second-last in both goals for and goals against, meaning they could easily take a forward instead of Ekblad.

What Will He Cost?

The Red Wings are trading for a possible franchise defenseman here, so the cost will not come cheaply. According to Gare Joyce of Sportsnet, citing an NHL scout, the price to move up to one of the top-two picks "would be picks—a high first and a second or third—and an established player that helps your top two lines.”

So essentially, the Red Wings—who don't have a "high" first, would likely need to shell out this year's first-round pick, this year's second-round pick and possibly next year's first, as well as a player like Johan Franzen.

Is that too much to give back? Depends how one looks at it from a present losses to future gains standpoint.

But one thing is for sure, Dale Tallon's time in Florida may be running short if he does not ice a playoff team within the next three years. If Detroit's management wants Ekblad, they need to give Tallon a deal he cannot turn down. 

Leon Draisaitl

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The Detroit Red Wings need to improve the overall size of their roster in this offseason.

Sure, the Wings have the skill players to be successful, but they have just four forwards that are under contract for next season that are over 200 pounds. They need a player who can be NHL-ready sooner rather than later that can help the team in terms of size.

Leon Draisaitl is that guy in this draft at the forward position. Draisaitl is the fourth-ranked player in Craig Button's list, but if the Red Wings hope to get him, they will need to trade up to at least the third spot to the Edmonton Oilers' selection.

This is because the fourth selection belongs to the Calgary Flames. While Calgary could hypothetically accept a deal for that pick if Draisaitl was still on the board, the Edmonton Oilers (picking third) have a lot more prospects in the cupboard than the Flames do. As such, the Oilers might be more willing to trade down than the Flames.

Why He's The Right Guy For Detroit

Simply put, Draisaitl is a puck-protecting forward, according to NHL's Mike Morreale. Puck possession is a big part of the way that the Red Wings have approached hockey since the Scotty Bowman era in Detroit.

He has an NHL-ready body frame, but could see some time in the minors just to help ease the transition between juniors and professional hockey.

Which Team Should They Trade With?

As mentioned above, the Wings should be ready to trade with the Edmonton Oilers, as they are stocked with talent from drafts over the past five years.

Although Edmonton doesn't have enough talent at the center position (which Draisaitl would help fill), Jonathan Willis of the Edmonton Journal suggests that "if the rumoured value of a top pick in the draft is anywhere close to accurate, [Edmonton] trading [their] selection could be the best play."

What Would He Cost?

Draisaitl is projected to be a top-five pick on quite a few mock drafts outside of Craig Button's mock draft. As such, the cost would only be slightly less than the top-two selection that was suggested by Sportsnet's Gare Joyce on the Aaron Ekblad slide.

Two first-round picks, a second-round pick and a top-six roster player would be standard, although if the roster player had a high enough value, Detroit might be able to get away with giving only this year's first-round selection.

Still a substantial amount to forfeit in any case.

Nicholas Ritchie

Nicholas Ritchie isn't rated very high on Craig Button's list, at 16th overall. But he is in the top-10 selections in each of the three NHL.com draft expert mock drafts. Adam Kimelman has Ritchie going to the Anaheim Ducks, Steven Hoffner has him going to the Carolina Hurricanes and Mike Morreale has him to the Nashville Predators.

The bottom line is that Ritchie is an explosive power forward that could be putting up 40-goal seasons some day. Ritchie has a five-goal game to his credit in the OHL and the 6'2", 231-pound left wing has the potential to help the Red Wings' first or second lines out in a few seasons.

Why He's The Guy For Detroit

It isn't a secret that the Red Wings are lacking size from both their prospects and their everyday lineup. The Wings only have four players that will for sure be playing in the NHL next season that are under contract that weigh over 200 pounds.

Ritchie is a goal scorer and he will be a difficult player to disrupt offensively.

Which Team Should They Trade With?

This could be a difficult question for Detroit's management to figure out if they actually want Ritchie.

The fact is, that with a skill set as broad as Ritchie's, there are plenty of teams that could take the former Peterborough Petes winger. It is up to the Red Wings to find a team that is willing to part with its pick to trade down and one that would not miss the pick too much.

Teams that catch the eye (assuming they still have their picks on draft day) are the Toronto Maple Leafs (picking eighth) and the Anaheim Ducks (picking 10th). These two teams have oodles of talent in their farm system and likely wouldn't mind trading seven or five spots down, respectively.

What Would He Cost?

If the Red Wings happen to trade with Toronto in order to pick Ritchie, it would be almost impossible as the two teams are division rivals, and the Leafs would drive a hard bargain. If the trade was with Anaheim, it could be a bit less.

Both teams would take Detroit's first-round pick along with a third-round pick and maybe a decent prospect as well.

Kasperi Kapanen

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Kasperi Kapanen may not be able to crack the Red Wings' lineup in 2014-15. But the Red Wings are famous for their patience with their draft picks, so it doesn't really matter one way or another.

Kapanen put up 14 points in 47 games in his first full season with KalPa in the Finnish Elite League.

He is another player that could fall anywhere from the six to 12 range, depending on which mock draft is believed. But Kapanen would be a great fit for Detroit, as a natural right-handed right wing; both of which are in short supply in Detroit.

Why He's The Right Guy For Detroit

Kapanen might not play for Detroit this season, but not many draft-eligible prospects have that chance regardless.

That is perfectly fine for Kapanen, as he still has a lot of adjusting to do to be a physically dominant scorer in any league. Whether it is the Finnish Elite League, AHL or NHL at some point, Kapanen needs some time to physically develop a bit more.

Kapanen will also bring a top-end, right-handed right wing presence to the Red Wings lineup. That cannot be overvalued, given the team's lack of right-handed shooting presence the past two-plus seasons.

Which Team Should They Trade With?

Similar to Nick Ritchie, this will be an interesting decision. If the Red Wings feel that he could fall outside of the No. 10 spot, this trade becomes a lot easier in terms of teams that were on the bubble of making the playoffs.

If he is the Red Wings' ideal pick, they should focus on teams outside of the top 10 and pull the trigger if he stays available.

What Would He Cost?

Kapanen will not cost as much as players in the top-10 would have if he falls from the top-10 range. Detroit would need to give up its No. 15 pick, but anything outside of that becomes a bit murky.

The Wings would probably forfeit their second-round pick or possibly a third and a fourth-round pick as part of the package. A prospect might be included as compensation instead of using other draft picks if the prospect was of good enough caliber.