Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted a subscriber-only article in which he discusses the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort under GM Steve Yzerman…
Steve Yzerman was named the Detroit Red Wings general manager on April 19, 2019. But the Yzerman managerial era didn’t start until last Thursday when defenseman Moritz Seider and forward Lucas Raymond made their NHL debut.
Those were the two players Yzerman chose in the first round of the first two drafts he commanded as Detroit’s GM. Yzerman has joked in the past that his scouting department does the work and then he gets credit when they succeed and he can blame the scouts if it doesn’t work out.
But anyone who knows Yzerman knows those first-round picks were his decisions. You can tell that by the people chosen. It looks like Yzerman hit a home run with both selections. But it will be a while before that is truly determined. It’s not even a given yet that Raymond will stay with the team this season, although it looks better every time Raymond makes a play or takes a shot.
The Red Wings situation is similar to what a college football coach goes through when he takes over a struggling team. It’s said that they shouldn’t be judged until their recruits start to become starters.
This is the first season the Red Wings are getting the youngsters that Yzerman drafted. It will still be a couple or three seasons before Yzerman has put together a group the way he wants it. But you can see it starting the take shape.
Continued (paywall); and Bob Duff posted a non-subscriber article examining “How the Red Wings were built“…
