Sportsnet insiders hold a unique team-based draft that surprisingly saw the Detroit Red Wings picked last, reflecting doubts about young defense.
The NHL season is nearly here as experts and insiders are starting to make their season long predictions with guesses ranging from some teams winning the Stanley Cup to missing the playoffs entirely. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas added to the conversation when drafting their new fantasy hockey league.
🎊A New year of hockey is upon us!🎊
— The In-Season Cup (@InSeasonCup) October 7, 2025
Welcome to Season 5 of the In-Season Cup! 🏆@sportsnetkyle@emilyagard@RandipJanda@FriedgeHNICpic.twitter.com/4t3lMwG6VQ
Instead of drafting individual players, Friedman, Bukauskas, along with Sportsnet’s Randip Janda and Emily Agard each selected teams of eight as part of their league and how it works is quite interesting. This league is based on a traveling “In Season Cup” that moves from team to team throughout the NHL season.
It starts with the defending champion Florida Panthers and is passed on whenever the current cup holder loses a game. The team that beats them takes the cup and begins accumulating days with it, starting on the day of their win and continuing until their next game. Every time the cup changes hands, the new holder starts a new count of days. This draft showcased what each Sportsnet personality thought of teams around the league with a surprising assessment for the Detroit Red Wings.
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Good News, Bad News For Several Former Red Wings Players The 2025-26 NHL Season is officially just hours away now, as the campaign begins for a handful of teams on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings remain on the presipace of their centennial season, which begins on Oct. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena.
Friedman is known as an hockey insider around the league while Bukauskas and Janda are known as broadcasters for hockey and Agard is more primarily known for her work with the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite the hockey knowledge within the league, the Red Wings were picked much later than expected, going as the last team off the board after teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres had all been selected. It's one of the few mediums that have seen the Red Wings listed as one of the worst teams in the league.
There is a level of strategy to it as Detroit plays in a difficult Atlantic division where they will have a tougher schedule than most but still going behind teams like the Sabres and Bruins is surprising. Friedman did recently express his concern behind the Red Wings young defense in a '32 Thoughts' podcast episode.
"They put Holl and Gustafsson on waivers, which is totally fine, but that says to me, they're thinking about doing a really young defense to start the year, like a really young D, we talked about this at the year end last year how Yzerman didn't give out term to veterans because he's like, the young guys need to play and I will bet on these young players, I wonder if that bet really starts right now, I just I don't think that they're ready," Friedman said.
As the NHL season approaches, the unique fantasy draft by Sportsnet’s insiders offers an intriguing glimpse into how experts view the league's landscape and the Red Wings have clearly raised some eyebrows. While Friedman’s concerns highlight the risks of betting on a youthful defense, Detroit now find themselves in a position with little outside expectation and a setup that could either validate these doubts or fuel a surprising breakout.
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