Detroit Red Wings: GM Steve Yzerman will excel in draft once again
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings are looking ahead to the third draft under General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman. Frankly, it has not been the easiest route for drafting, given a pandemic making things interesting. The effects of that will trickle into the 2021 NHL Entry Draft as well, but the expectation should still be high.
Draft capital is the name of the game this year, as it was in last fall’s NHL Entry Draft. The Detroit Red Wings are going to make eleven picks in the first five rounds of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. However, last year that turned into a couple more trades and furthering of draft capital.
With two first-round picks, three second-round picks, and two picks in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, the Red Wings are going to excel no matter what route they go. It would be pretty hard to mess up this draft.
Not to mention, the organization knows what Yzerman is capable of when it comes to drafting; the entire Red Wings front office does a phenomenal job of finding quality talent. There should be plenty of excitement as the draft approaches later this month.
Detroit Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman is going to excel in the draft once again.
While the hockey world is watching the Tampa Bay Lightning become somewhat of a dynasty, bending the rules or not, Red Wings fans should be excited. The Lightning’s roster make-up is quite literally the house that Yzerman built in his time there.
Current GM and former Assistant GM Julien Brisebois has done a good job adding to this and making key moves, but he took over a team that was architected to succeed courtesy of Yzerman. Nowadays, the Yzerplan is in full effect in Hockeytown, its a slow and steady race, but the Red Wings are getting there after the former captain’s return to the organization.
There was a tweet from Harman Dayal of The Athletic, who summed up the insane ability of Yzerman to find talent outside the first round.
Tampa’s ability to mine NHL forwards outside the first round is nuts
— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) July 6, 2021
Point (79th overall, 2014)
Kucherov (58th overall, 2011)
Cirelli (72nd overall, 2015)
Palat (208th overall, 2011)
Gourde (undrafted)
Johnson (undrafted)
Colton (118th overall, 2016)
Joseph (120th overall, 2015)
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Come on now, look at the names in that tweet, all being players taken outside of the first round.
Seeing stuff like this, seeing how current prospects in the organization Yzerman drafted are performing, and knowing how much draft capital the team has are exciting.
Anyone who is a Red Wings fan should be looking forward to the 2021 NHL Entry Draft; the organization is only going to get stronger.
While the first draft choice on night one is going to be a big one, whoever the Red Wings take at six is not the only player in the draft class.
The second day of the 2021 NHL Draft and everything beyond the first round should be just as exciting as the first day. Why? Because Yzerman is going to work his magic and piece together one heck of a draft class once again.
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The draft is still a few weeks away, but the Detroit Red Wings front office is going to be fun to keep tabs on as it unfolds, watching how the team chooses to attack each pick.