[jeedee]

Originally Posted by DanHibiki

I remember there was an article about Edler and only us, Detroit, and one other team scouted Edler and really wanted him.

Yeah I think I read the same article on TheHockeyNews. It was only the Canucks and Detroit interested in Edler. The Detroit scout didn't bother to look at Edler and one Canucks scout actually made the trip down to Sweden and watch him play. If it wasn't for that scout, today, Edler would be playing for Detroit.

Edit: Found the article:

In 2004, Detroit Red Wings super scout Hakan Andersson heard there was a big, strong-skating, draft-eligible defensemen playing for an obscure team in Ostersund, Sweden. The low-level loop described by some as little better than a beer league wasn't a place NHL scouts searched for prospects, but Andersson believed it was worth making the six-hour drive from his home to check the player out in person.

Not wanting to make the drive only to find out the kid wasn't playing, Andersson called ahead to make sure he was. Ostersund's coach, realizing he might have a diamond in the rough on his hands, contacted agent Johan Stromberg who promptly signed the prospect and sent out word to NHL teams that he knew of a blueliner from a small-time team they'd be interested in seeing.

But it was late in the season. Ostersund had one game remaining and wasn't going to make the playoffs, so NHL teams had a lone chance to see the player before the draft.

Vancouver's Thomas Gradin was the only scout who made the trip and he must have liked what he saw. Worrying the Wings would snag the defenseman, the Canucks traded up in the third round of the 2004 draft to select Alex Edler seven slots before Detroit was selecting.

The Red Wings who were indeed planning on scooping Edler that round, ended up with Johan Franzen instead. Not too shabby.

But what if Andersson hadn't made that fateful phone call? Edler might currently be manning the Detroit blueline. Franzen would have been drafted by another NHL team and never signed an 11-year pact with Detroit.

And with no need for a big, puck-moving defensemen at the 2005 draft, the Red Wings likely wouldn't have drafted Jakub Kindl. Instead Detroit could have taken a scorer - Nicklas Bergfors, Andrew Cogliano or T.J. Oshie were available, as was netminder Tuuka Rask.