The Minnesota Wild’s Best Value Picks On Draft Day

With the 2015 NHL Entry Draft about a month away, it’s time to take a gander at the five best value picks by the Minnesota Wild. It wasn’t until recent years that the Wild started having more success at the draft table. Teams can turn their franchises into dynasties with late-round steals as the Detroit Red Wings did with picks such as Henrik Zetterberg (seventh round, 210th overall, 1999), Pavel Datsyuk (sixth round, 171st overall, 1998), and Tomas Holmstrom (10th round, 257th overall, 1994). The trio played a large part in Detroit winning the Stanley Cup with a combined seven championships between them.

Now I’ve probably talked a little too much about the Red Wings to make any of these Wild draft selections seem momentous. Minnesota hasn’t been around for very long – none of Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Holmstrom were drafted during Minnesota’s existence – and some of their recent picks have yet to show their colors. And again, in the days of GM Doug Risebrough, the cupboards weren’t exactly left stocked with prospects. For the purposes of this list, only guys with NHL experience will be used.