Gifted NHL scorers can attest to the reality that the only problem with scoring 30-plus goals in a season is that it is followed by the expectation of scoring that many every season.

That’s similar to the situation Steve Yzerman is in as an NHL general manager. Yzerman drafted Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson and Sebastian Cossa with first-round picks in his first three drafts with Detroit. That gives him two young stars, another first-pairing defenseman and one of the world’s top young goalies. Yzerman also owned a record of quality draft picks in Tampa.

That’s why Detroit fans anticipate he will add another building block player tonight when the Red Wings draft at No. 8 in Montreal (ESPN, 7 p.m.)

“We certainly hope so,” Yzerman said. “That’s our plan. Ultimately, they’re all 17 or 18 and you don’t really know. But we feel good where we’re sitting with what we think might be available.”

Mock drafts have varied significantly in the ramp up to tonight’s first round. The various projections have had the Red Wings selecting a USA U-18 player such as Cutter Gauthier, Frank Nazar or Jimmy Snuggerud. The Red Wings have also been tagged to select Swede Jonathan Lekkerimani. Austrian Marcus Kasper or Finn Joakim Kemell. Winnipeg Ice dynamic small center Matthew Savoie and his teammate Conor Geekie have also been listed at No. 8.

Kasper Projection

Hockey Now draft expert Marco D’Amico has projected the Red Wings grabbing Kasper at No. 8 in his 2022 NHL mock draft. 

But he also says he wouldn’t be surprised if the Columbus Blue Jackets take Kasper at No. 6. Kasper is an Austrian center who plays in Sweden

“This whole thing could go a lot of different ways. You look at all the public lists and they can vary,” Yzerman said.

Historically, draft lists differ significantly from team to team. That’s because teams are trying to project what 17- and 18-year players will be like as adults.

Last year, Yzerman was able to move up in the first round on his second pick (from Washington). He went to No. 15 and drafted Cossa. But moving up is never easily accomplished at the NHL.

“The only difficulty is finding a partner that wants to,” Yzerman said. “There’s been times we’ve looked to move, whether it be up or back, but simply couldn’t find anybody that wanted to do it.”

But Yzerman isn’t going to rule out anything. The draft is unpredictable.

“Ultimately those decisions to move on the draft floor happen pretty quickly at the time of the draft.” Yzerman said.

Players Always Fall

The consensus is Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky, Logan Cooley, Simon Nemec, Lekkerimaki, Gauthier and Kemell should go at the top of the draft.

But every year, one or two of the favorites, go lower than expected. That’s why D’Amico believes it’s possible Detroit could end up with one of those players.

“Center is a topic of conversation (in Detroit),” D’Amico said. “Cutter Gauthier comes to mind. He potentially can be a center, a power forward style of player.”

He played on the wing for Team USA, but is expected to play center at Boston College.

But Gauthier is expected to go fifth to Philadelphia. If Lekkerimaki slips down, D’Amico likes the fit in Detroit.

“He was the best player at the Under 18 tournament in May, leading the tournament in scoring,” D’Amico said. “He blew away Sweden-based scouts. (Lekkerimaki) was such an impactful player at age 18, in a similar fashion to how Lucas Raymond was at the same age.”

But D’Amico also knows Yzerman doesn’t follow the crowd in rating players. Others didn’t have Seider rated as highly as he did. D’Amico said even Raymond had slipped on some NHL teams’ list when he went No. 4 to Yzerman.

The Red Wings have more quality defense prospects than forward prospects. But Yzerman said this week that won’t impact his first round decision. He’s taking the best player available regardless of position.

Mintyukov Rising

“If (the Red Wings) don’t care about positional needs, one out of the box pick that seems to be jumping out at everybody is Pavel Mintyukov,” D’Amico said.

Mintyukov played for the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirits. A Russian defenseman, Mintyukov netted 17 goals and put up 62 points in 67 games.

“Just an insane turn-around this year when it came to his play,” D’Amico said. “…There is no visa worries with him. He was almost a point per game player on the worst team in almost all Canadian major junior hockey. The advanced metrics are off the chain and we know Steve Yzerman likes to look at analytics when it comes to players  He would be a darkhorse player if (the Red Wings) were going to take a defenseman. I don’t think (Czech defenseman) David Jiricek impressed a lot of people. The only other defenseman I could see them going for is Kevin Korchinski.”

Korchinski played for the Seattle Thunderbirds and posted 62 assists this season.

“Another defenseman who was close to point per game,” D’Amico said. “This is a rare year when we have four or five (defenseman like that.).”

The post Does Yzerman Have Another NHL Draft Ace Up His Sleeve Today? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

One of Steve Yzerman’s strengths as a general manager is a willingness to be creative and varied in his problem-solving. While Detroit Red Wings fans were debating whether the Red Wings should draft a goalie with the sixth pick in the NHL draft Friday, Yzerman was busy hammering out the final details of acquiring goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from the Carolina Hurricanes.

Nedeljkovic is 25 and was a Calder Trophy Finalist last season. He was 15-5-3 last season with a 1.90 goals-against average.

“We are pretty excited about it,”  Yzerman said. “He did very well this year and everyone within our organization is familiar with him because of his local ties.”

The Red Wings gave up a third-round pick, and the rights to UFA Jonathan Bernier. The third round pick is the 94th pick in the 2021 draft, originally owned by Vegas.

It’s not Yzerman’s way to gush, to be overly effusive in his praise. But this deal is another reason for fans to celebrate Yzerman’s skill as a trader and mover and shaker. This is Detroit’s goalie for today, and it’s possible he is the goalie for the future, a guy who will grow with this rebuilding team.

Yzerman has a Trading Knack

Yzerman seems to have a knack for always being in position to take advantage at opportunities that present themselves. He’s an artful horse trader

The Red Wings are very familiar with him because he’s an Ohio native who played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Plymouth (Mich.) Whalers.  Many Red Wings fans probably saw his home games when it was called Compuware Arena.

“We know his character and work ethic, his competitiveness,” Yzerman said. “Watching him play this year we felt this as an opportunity to get a younger goalie with still more upside and who can help us win more games.”

Before the trade, the Red Wings didn’t have a young goalie anointed as their goalie of the future, although Czech goalie Jan Bednar (107th pick, 2020 is starting to grow on them. The Red Wings will  probably still draft a goalie, maybe in the second round, instead of the first round.

Yzerman Wins His Trades

Young goalies already playing in the NHL are not usually moved. The Hurricanes have said they moved Nedeljkovic because they are in a win-now mode and wanted to acquire a more veteran goalie. They will talk to Bernier and they have been linked to free agent Freddie Anderson

Yzerman has done well with his trades since taking over in Detroit. He picked up Robbie Fabbri from St. Louis for someone not in his plans. Fans are thrilled with his acquisition of Jakub Vrana for Anthony Mantha. Yzeman also got high marks for his Marc Staal acquisition and fans are crowing about this deal on social media.

As far as Detroit fans are concerned, Yzerman is undefeated as a trader. He gave up a second rounder for Nick Leddy, but fans understand why.

“We are trying to improve our team,” Yzerman said. “Our goal is to build a playoff team, a Stanley Cup contender. That hasn’t changed. In the interim, we are trying to surround our younger players with a more competitive team.”

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In the 1980s, Steve Yzerman played hockey like he was delivering mail for the Pony Express. He rode hard, usually at full gallop, always with no fear for his safety.

Yzerman had the freedom to roar up ice because Gerard Gallant rode shotgun for him. And Gallant took that job seriously. Opponents who wanted to interfere with Yzerman’s work had to first deal with Gallant. The  prickly winger had talent, averaging 37 goals per season from 1986-87 to 1989-90.

But he also understood that a key part of his job was making sure Stevie Y had the room he needed to be the best he could be.

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Rebuilds are never easy on a fan base. It’s aggravating to watch a team that is realistically out of the playoffs before the season begins. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. Over the past two seasons, they have won 36 of 127 games. And Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman says it’s still going to take more time to transform this team into a contender.

But for some reason this rebuild doesn’t seem as painful as rebuilding efforts in other cities.  For example, there is far less negativity in Detroit than there is in Buffalo.

Here are five reasons why Detroit’s rebuild has been more bearable than some others:

Fan base trusts Yzerman

Yzerman is one of the revered players in Red Wings history. He is The Captain, the man who transformed himself from offensive dynamo into playoff-style warrior and then from Hall of Fame player to respected management figure. There’s good reason to trust him. Most of the transactions he has completed since becoming general manager in 2019 have been wins for Detroit.

Yzerman is entertainingly unpredictable

It’s not intentional. But Yzerman creates a fun atmosphere for fans because you never know what rabbit he will pull out of his hat. Did anyone hear a word about the Anthony Mantha-for-Jakub Vrana and a first and second swap before it happened? He doesn’t draft the players pundits think he will draft. He ends up with better players. He becomes the third team in a three-team swap to get a draft pick. He lands a second round pick for taking Marc Staal’s contract. It’s never dull with Yzerman in charge.

Red Wings had a 25-year run

Detroit fans knew their playoff run wasn’t going to last forever. When a team makes the playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons and wins four Stanley Cups in six Stanley Cup Finals appearances, you expect a period of hard times will follow. Fans may not like this, but they knew it was coming

A town of draftniks

Nobody in Detroit used to care about the draft or prospects. Former Detroit general manager Ken Holland used to say that Detroit liked to keep prospects in the American League until “they are overripe.” The prevailing fan attitude was ‘”tell me about them when they are on the big club’s roster.”

Lucas Raymond how are ya?! #WorldJuniors #LGRW

: @TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/ic0pj7AC6O

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 2, 2021

Today, Detroit fans are all about the draft and prospect lists. YouTube videos featuring Red Wing prospects are shared among the faithful like they are spiritual revelations. Fans know plenty about Detroit prospects, particularly the potential stars like Moritz Seider or Lucas Raymond.  They are concerned more about whether Joe Veleno projects to score as a No. 2 center and whether Michael Rasmussen will ever play in the top six than they care about today’s Red Wing scores.

Rebuilding is easier to tolerate when you have the knowledge to look into the future.

Ken and Mickey still in the booth

Even in hard times, there is joy in having the long-time television duo Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond in the broadcast booth. Redmond and his catchphrases are Detroit institutions. Mickey seems to becoming even more entertaining as he grows older. He seems more unfiltered, more apt to speak his mind. Even when the score is lopsided, it’s still worth hearing Ken’s and Mickey’s on-air banter.

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Circumstances might dictate the Detroit Red Wings have a relatively quiet offseason. They aren’t far enough along in their rebuilding to chase after major free agents.

Plus, they need roster spots for Givani Smith, Dennis Cholowski and Gustav Lindstrom because they are out of options. Even if they aren’t sold on Cholowski, they would like to see where he is at this fall.

The Red Wings can protect three defensemen in the expansion draft, and one of those spots will go to Filip Hronek. Lindstrom has shown enough growth and steadiness to get the second spot. That leaves Troy Stecher vs. Cholowski for the No. 3 spot.

The fan base might prefer Stecher because he’s highly competitive and plays with gusto. But Stecher is 27, and out of his development stage. The Red Wings even scratched him later in the 2020-21 season.  Also, fans can’t move past the fact that former general manager Ken Holland ended up with Cholowski after trading down with the Coyotes to shed Pavel Datsyuk’s contract. The Coyotes drafted Jeff Cychrun at Detroit’s original first-round spot.

But there will be players available this summer in the trade or free-agent marketplace that the Red Wings should consider:

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The Detroit Red Wings’ third consecutive poor season will only earn them a 7.6% chance of winning the No. 1 pick in tonight’s NHL draft lottery.

Based on the odds, the Red Wings have a 73.8% chance of picking at No. 6 or No. 7. The breakdown: Detroit has a 7.8% shot at picking second, a 30% chance of picking at No. 6 and 43.8% chance of drafting at No. 7. The Red Wings also have a 10.9% probability of finishing eighth.

The lottery will be televised in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network and NHL Network Wednesday starting at 7 p.m.. The expansion Seattle Kraken will enter the lottery the draft at No. 3 and they have a 20.5% of earning the No. 1, which is expected to be University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power.

Three Michigan players could land in Top 10

Michigan centers Matthew Berniers and Kent Johnson are also highly rated. But unless the Red Wings pick first or second, it’s probable that Powers and Berniers will be gone when they select. Johnson (nine goals and 27 points in 26 games this season) could be available.

“(Johnson) has versatility, fast hands, and can control the puck and the play,” said Sportsology draft expert Russ Cohen.

The Red Wings are historically drawn to Swedish talent.  Speedy winger William Eklund projects to land in the No. 6-9 range.

“He has outstanding offensive instincts,” said Kyle Woodlief, chief scout for Redline Report, an independent scouting review.  “Constantly in motion; keeps his feet moving and challenges defenders with energy and desire.  Mid-season Covid bout cost him several weeks, but couldn’t keep him down long.”

Mike Sillinger’s son could end up a Detroit pick

Another potential intriguing pick for the Red Wings is Cole Sillinger,  a 6-foot center from Sioux Falls in the United State Hockey League. He netted 24 goals and 46 points in 31 games for Sioux Falls. Cole’s father, Mike Sillinger, was a Red Wings’ first round pick in 1989.

“Colie is a dual U.S./Canadian citizen was able to leave the WHL for the USHL in late December and wasted little time dominating the league.” Woodlief said.  “Dynamic player is a bull on skates, thick and extremely strong on his feet, able to drive through contact and get to the net at will. He loves to initiate physical contact and has the hands and shot to score at any level.  The puck comes off his blade like a missile.”

Other players projected to go in that No. 6-9 range: Center Mason McTavish (Peterborough, Ontario Hockey League) and defenseman Brandt Clarke, a Canadian who played in Slovakia this season.

Woodlief called McTavish “a powerful horse” who wins every battle. “He’s the safest Top 10 pick in this draft,” Woodlief said. “He’s the best faceoff man we’ve seen coming out of junior (hockey) in the last decade.”

Woodlief said Clarke is the most skilled offensive defenseman available in this draft.

Red Wings’ fall in 2020 triggers change in rules

The draft lottery was changed this season. The Red Wings’ fall from No. 1 to No. 4 last season could be viewed as the final straw that pushed the NHL toward change.  The Red Wings had the NHL’s worst record by far last season and it seem unfair to many that they ended up falling three spots.

This year a team can only fall two spots: the Buffalo Sabres have the worst record and they have a 31.6% chance at picking No. 1 or No. 2 . The Red Wings have the fifth-worst record, but are starting at No. 6 because of the Kraken’s arrival.

Also new this season: teams cannot win the lottery more than twice in a five-year period. Wins before this season don’t count.

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The post Red Wings have long-shot hope of picking No. 1, more likely to draft No. 6-8 appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.