The Red Wings have a few needs as they head into this weekend's NHL draft in Buffalo, New York.
One of those is a top young defenseman to hold down the blue line for years to come.
The problem with that is defensemen like that rarely last past the top 10 draft picks and Detroit has the No. 16 selection.
The last time the Wings took a defenseman with their first-round pick was in 2007, when they chose Wisconsin's Brendan Smith with the 27th overall pick.
The last time the Wings took a defenseman in the top 12 picks was in 1987 when they took Yves Racine.