Detroit Red Wings: Breaking down the worst Ken Holland Transactions
By Bob Heyrman
David Legwand, you’ve guessed it another local product that had an excellent career until he ended up with a Winged Wheel on his chest.
David Legwand was the first ever draft pick by the Nashville Predators. He enjoyed a tremendous career with the Preds, but his career should have ended when his days did in Nashville. Legwand joined the Detroit Red Wings as a depth center around the trade deadline in 2014 to replace the ineffective abilities of Stephen Weiss. Well, this move also failed to work.
He played his junior hockey with the Plymouth Whalers also, but unlike Weiss, he was actually a local product. David was born in Detroit; he attended Grosse Pointe North High School. He grew up playing as a member of the Detroit Little Caesars minor hockey club.
As you can see, Ken Holland jumps at the opportunity to bring back a local player. Legwand was drafted second overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Level Draft behind the Lightning’s Vincent Lecavalier. Legwand played fifteen years with the Preds; he played 956 games recording 566 points as the face of the franchise.
Ken Holland moved prospect Calle Jarnkrok along with Patrick Eaves and a second round pick (Julius Bergman) for the rental services of Legwand–a steep price. Eaves was often buried on the Wings fourth line excelled later in his career scoring 32 goals combined in a season between Dallas and Anaheim. Calle Jarnkrok since has recorded 149 points through 395 games all with the Predators.
Legwand recorded 11 points in 21 games with the Red Wings but became invisible during a brief five-game playoff stint as he was unable to log a point in the teams’ first-round exit. He would go on to spend some time in Ottawa & Buffalo achieving over 1000 career games before hanging up the skates.