Detroit Red Wings

The Daily: Sakic Wants Grit; Yzerman Still Wants A Scorer, But…

Published

10 months ago

June 30, 2023

NASHVILLE — Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman still wants to add a proven scorer. But he is always a realist.

“I certainly could see a world where we don’t,” Yzerman said. “I hope that doesn’t happen. I’d like to add some offense, but there’s no guarantees I can do anything.”

Yzerman said he talked to teams about trades before the first round of the draft Wednesday, but nothing materialized. The Red Wings were linked to talks about Ottawa’s Alex DeBrincat and Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny. Those players are still with their teams.

The Red Wings have the Boston Bruins’ first round pick next season to use to make a major trade.

Free agency starts Saturday, but options to land a scorer there are limited. Yzerman has a connection to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn. He has 55 goals over the past two seasons, and he’s a quality all-around player. But he turns 34 this fall. Vladimir Tarasenko is a six-time 30-plus goal scorer, but he turns 32 in December. Jason Zucker scored 27 goals last season, but he’s also 31. Players in their position don’t usually end up with rebuilding teams.

Maybe the most intriguing player in Toronto’s Michael Bunting. He’s 27 and he’s scored 23 goals in each of the past two seasons. There’s no question he is a skillful, but it’s unknown how Yzerman feels about him.

“We’ll fill some spots,” Yzerman said. “Who exactly, I’m not sure, or for how long or how much. That’s the nature of free agency, but we’d like to. You know our roster, the guys we’ve traded. We’ll try to do that in some form or another. Keep our fingers crossed that we can score some more goals.”

Red Wings Offseason

Six-foot-five defenseman Brady Cleveland was ranked 64th in North America by the NHL’s Central Scouting. The Red wings selected him with the 47th pick because they like his blend of toughness and size. This was his reaction to hear his name in the second round:

“You’re sitting in the stands watching all your friends get picked from your team and then to finally hear your name called, it’s something pretty special, you kind of get a shot of adrenaline, feel a little rush through you. There’s nothing like it.”

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Red Wings acquire Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto from the Edmonton Oilers for future considerations. The team is buying out Yamamoto.
Defense and goaltending was a priority for the Red Wings on the second day of the draft.
Red Wings draft pick Axel Sandin Pellikka had quite a journey just to get to the draft.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: David Krejci may be contemplating playing in the Czech League again. Boston Bruins.

Chicago: Nate Brown writes that Blackhawks fans may be wary of Chicago’s acquisition of Corey Perry. Chicago Blackhawks.

Colorado: Joe Sakic has made it clear that he wants the Avalanche to be a little grittier next season. That will be at the heart of the team’s free agent moves. Colorado Avalanche.

Florida: George Richards goes into detail about what’s next for the Panthers. They have plenty going on. Florida Panthers.

Philadelphia: The Flyers could end up big draft day winners with their drafting of Matvei Michkov. Philadephia Flyers.

Pittsburgh: Dave Molinari lays out the Kyle Dubas blueprint for revamping the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Washington: Capitalss Jared Serre explains what the Capitals are trying to do this summer. It’s similar to what the Red Wings are trying to do. Washington Capitals.

Vegas: Hard to believe, but Logan Thompson may be on the trade block. Vegas Golden Knights.