At one time in their storied history, the Detroit Red Wings were revered as the gold standard for drafting and development. In recent years outside of the 1st round, the Detroit Red Wings have struggled to replicate their past success of drafting and developing their talent in-house, with only a handful of exceptions. The latest indication of this trend is the news that their 2019 2nd round pick, Robert Mastrosimone, is unlikely to sign with the team, as reported by Inside The Rink.
Mastrosimone, who is currently playing for Arizona State University, had an impressive season, scoring 11 goals and providing 31 assists for a total of 42 points in just 38 games. Despite this, he is reportedly considering testing the free agent market rather than signing with Detroit.
ASU's head coach stated that while there is interest from multiple teams, it doesn't look like Mastrosimone will end up with the Red Wings.
He's playing the waiting game and seeing what's going to be available as a free agent. There's a lot of teams that are interested in him, but it doesn't look like Detroit is going to happen. It's just a waiting game, but he has the option to come back. It's a good option, and he's open to it
This marks a departure from the past, where Detroit was often a preferred destination for players in the National Hockey League.
