Ex-Director of Amateur Scouting Tyler Wright Accountable For Red Wings' Failures

The damage had been done by the time former Detroit Red Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright decided to accompany Ken Holland to the Edmonton Oilers in 2019.

Wright, who oversaw numerous major busts that the Red Wings continue to pay for today, may have made his biggest mistake in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

That year, the Red Wings took Michael Rasmussen with the 9th overall pick. While Rasmussen has been an average player for the Red Wings, fans continue to grow frustrated that he rarely uses his size and contributes little offense for a player taken within the opening 10 picks of a Draft.

Also available in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft were players who were in or are still in the Stanley Cup Playoffs today.

Taken with the 12th pick was forward Martin Necas by the Carolina Hurricanes, who became one of their most important players soon afterward; he's now with the Colorado Avalanche and has been one of their key contributors. He also has 326 points in 441 games, compared to just 140 points in 390 games for Rasmussen.

Taken with the 13th pick was Nick Suzuki (originally taken by the Vegas Golden Knights but later traded to Montreal), who captained the Montreal Canadiens to the postseason this year by performing incredibly down the stretch; he has 375 points in 455 games.

While Montreal bowed out in Round 1 to the Washington Capitals, the uncomfortable fact remains that they've made the Stanley Cup Final (2021), finished in last place in the Atlantic Division 2 years straight after that, and now made it back to the playoffs - all since Steve Yzerman has been the GM of the Red Wings in 2019.

Additionally, Robert Thomas was taken with the 20th overall pick by the St. Louis Blues; he's already helped them to a Stanley Cup in 2019, and has 396 points in 466 games.

Just how much could any of the aforementioned players have helped the Red Wings over the last several years expedite their rebuild?