The Detroit Red Wings’ general manager took a hit to his seemingly bulletproof facade by selecting Moritz Seider with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Fans were a little jittery, to say the least, after the Red Wings’ amateur scouts made their pick.
Yzerman himself suggested that the Red Wings have faith in their decision-making, however, as noted by the Hockey News’s Ryan Kennedy:
In his first draft as GM of the Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman made a splash. The Red Wings shocked the hockey world by taking German defenseman Moritz Seider sixth overall, making him the second defenseman taken after Colorado’s Bowen Byram at No. 4.
On most lists, Seider was slated to go in the 15-20 range. He played for Adler Mannheim in the DEL, but viewings weren’t always easy for NHL teams due to some minor injuries he had along the way. Yzerman noted that the Red Wings did try to trade back to get another asset while still picking Seider, but they couldn’t find a dance partner and since their next pick didn’t come until No. 35 in the second round, they had to make a decision.
“We think he has excellent hockey sense,” Yzerman said. “Obviously he’s a big kid at 6-foot-3 and a real good skater. In our opinion he was one of the top defensemen in the draft. I know our fans don’t know much about him, but people will come to development camp and see him move, watch him play a bit and they’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
Kennedy states the obvious, which is good:
This was a big pick for Detroit. The Red Wings are in the midst of a rebuild while playing in a very top-heavy Atlantic Division. They’ve got a lot of catching up to do with the likes of Tampa Bay, Boston and Toronto and some nice young pieces in Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen and Filip Hronek, to name a new. Seider can be a difference-maker on the blueline and a character guy, at that.
“He’s very personable; a very bright young man,” Yzerman said. “He has a lot of energy and he’s an excellent athlete. There’s a lot of potential in his play and his athleticism.”
It’s fun when an organization gets their guy at the draft, even if the pick seems high at the time. Yzerman’s tenure in Detroit is starting off with a bang – now we wait to see if it pays off down the road.
I trust Stevie.