Updated at 12:14 PM: Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke with 97.1 the Ticket’s Stoney and Jansen this morning, and you can listen to the interview embedded in the following link:
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman joined us this morning. We talked about:
— Stoney & Jansen with Heather (@StoneyJansen) July 26, 2021
* the 2021 draft class
* what went into two big recent trades
* if we can expect a big signing in free agency
Listen here: https://t.co/ZL5vLV46as
Yzerman, who sounds very relaxed, discusses the means by which the Red Wings scouted their potential draft picks (see: lots of video), why the Wings picked Simon Edvinsson 6th overall, Sebastian Cossa’s potential and developmental timeline, the ways in which prospect development has changed since Yzerman’s days in the league, his decision to swap out draft picks for Nick Leddy and Alex Nedeljkovic, his decision to trade up to select Cossa, and his belief that the Wings need to add some veterans to the team to help Detroit’s current young players develop at the NHL level.
I’ll post the MP3 as soon as 97.1 the Ticket’s podcast page makes it available.
Update: Here’s the MP3:
Update #2: Among 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield’s interview highlights:
Cossa is on the verge of outgrowing the WHL, where he put up a .941 save percentage and 1.57 goals against average in 19 games last season. The AHL will be his next challenge, starting in earnest in 2021-22. How long he stays there will be dictated by his play.
“Whether it’s one, two or even three years, I don’t really know,” Yzerman said. “I don’t have a timeline for it. If he’s playing (in Detroit) in two or three years I’ll be thrilled, but I expect it to be a little bit longer just because I want to be patient with the goaltenders and kind of let them force their way in the lineup where you’re almost like, ‘God, the kid’s too good. We can’t keep him out of the net any longer.’ But this just seems to me like three to four years. Who knows.
“We’ve got a really good young goalie in Alex Nedeljkovic. So not only do we have a guy that can play for us now and for the next few years — and who knows, it could be for the next 10, 12 years — but we’ve got a real good prospect in the system as well. And I’d just as soon let it play itself out.”
Man do I miss Jamie Samuelsen, he was so great at these interviews and to have the meathead Jansen in his spot sucks.
Yzerman is surprisingly real good at this. Back in his playing days he didn’t say much. but now he’s a great interview.