Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis posts an in-depth “breakdown” of the Red Wings’ 2023-2024 prospect pool today:
After nearly 30 years of making the post-season, the Steve Yzerman ‘Yzerplan’ has to feel like an eternity to the Detroit Red Wings fanbase.
The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. Their last playoff series victory was more than a decade ago when they beat Anaheim in seven games back in 2013. This bottom-of-the-barrel we’ve seen in recent years has been an eye-opener for fans that want and expect much more.
But those dark days might be in the rearview mirror before too long. The Red Wings have a solid prospect pool, with some huge hits in the draft over the past few years. Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond were excellent selections, and Sebastian Cossa, Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper gave the team some high-impact prospects at their respective positions.
Add in a long-term deal for captain Dylan Larkin, the acquisition of Alex DeBrincat, and the huge season out of Jake Walman, and the Red Wings are trending upward. There’s still room to grow, and next season will be a big one as they handle a wave of free agency decisions. But thankfully, with one of the best crops of young prospects in the NHL, the return to glory isn’t far away.
Biggest Strength: With Edvinsson, Axel Sandin Pellikka and William Wallinder leading the way, the Red Wings have an exciting defensive pipeline right now. Moritz Seider and Jake Walman are a solid 1-2 punch right now, and the team has a decent helping of veterans in Justin Holl, Shayne Gostisbehere and Ben Chiarot. Edvinsson should fight for a roster spot in camp, while the other two aren’t far away. By the time the Red Wings are ready to start seriously contending, their blueline will look quite young, with Seider leading the charge. Also, with Cossa and Trey Augustine making waves, they’ve got one of the best 1-2 goaltending punches of any prospect pool. Nice work.
Biggest Weakness: If Kasper can’t produce at a high level in the NHL, will any forward in the system be able to step up? Carter Mazur is a solid prospect, but he’s more of a middle-six player. The team’s last real impact forward prospect was Raymond, who was selected in 2020. That wasn’t long ago, but after Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno never materialized, they’d probably like to find a bit more success in this department.
Continued, with a top ten list of Red Wings prospects…
