>>63102676>>63102745found some research I did on reddit in response to a similar question
>When was the last time a draft pick made the Red Wings roster the same year he was drafted?Yzerman was drafted in 1983 and started that year for the Wings, a year after Illich purchased the wings. So, at least after that point. (edit: Lapointe was the latest i found in 1991)
By comparison, Lidstrom was drafted in 1989 and started in 1991, Datsyuk was drafted 1998 and started in 2002 2001, Zetterberg was drafted in 1999 and started in 2002, Kronwall was drafted in 2000 and went on and off between Wings and Griffins until 2006, Hudler was drafted 2002 and played in 2003 for the wings (closest so far), Howard played 3 years in college after he got drafted in 2003 (similar to Abby), and Franzen baked for a year after 2004.
So, pretty much we stopped letting draft picks play for us the year they get drafted since we started making the playoffs in the 1990-1991 season, because of the fact that our prospects were, predictably, not as good as when we had higher draft picks due to suckage. Also influencing this is Holland's and Illich's development process that lets players season in the juniors or minors before they are deemed "ready". For Larkin to make opening night roster 1 year after he was drafted 15th overall is a testament to not only his skill, but also the Wing's success in the last 10 years (fewer chances for great drafts) and the age of our top line.
