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Detroit will pick 6th at the draft. if you missed it, Yzerman had some fun with Ansar Khan regarding the top 6 picks. Click on the article link and you can see a 40 second clip that was posted on Twitter. Even before the COVID shutdown, Yzerman was going against the grain as far as “central scouting” went. The normal scouting reports are North American “heavy”, as it’s the easiest viewing available. All the Canadian junior leagues, the USHL, and collegiate ranks get prime scouting. Each year, teams doing their own internal work seem to drift further away from those results. This year is way off the map. Some leagues didn’t play at all, some colleges didn’t play at all. As Yzerman stated, some kids were playing in leagues against grown men, and some didn’t play at all.
At the end of the day, we know that Yzerman has his own thing going. He’s not “magic” by any means. But, he has changed his scouting process a bit and takes the player that he thinks will fit the vision for this team. Moritz Seider, so far, seems to have been a very good choice.
Mlive penned a piece regarding Wings players who are still playing in the world Championship. Unfortunately, our Czech mates have finished up with a loss to Finland. Zadina (2+2), Vrana (2+2) and Hronek (1+3) all ended the tournament with 4 points. Still playing are Stecher (1+1) who led all Canadian Dmen in ice time for their last win (25:52). Seider (0+4) was second in ice time during their last win (23:07). He gave an interview in the post game saying, ““I think we were the better team from the beginning,” Seider said in a story posted on iihf.com. “There was no doubt that we were going to win that game. We can be very proud of ourselves”. That’s some impressive confidence.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen some swagger on the ice. Moritz has tons of confidence and plays hard. He turned 20 recently, but seems to be the leader everywhere he goes. From his first development camp where he was corralling players and directing the power play to his award winning season this past year. Something about Seider’s internal makeup just pushes him into a verbal leadership role. This is the young man who interviewed with every single team before the draft because he wanted the experience. Those can be tough experiences, but he made an impression.
Look, I’m not advocating for arrogance. The difference, in my mind, of having “swagger” is confidence but with the added dimension of expectations and accountability. Those players from Detroit’s championship years who showed up confident, but called themselves out when things went south. Chelios used to give the room hell if they stunk it up on the ice. I think Seider could be wearing an “A” in the not too distant future.
When I see things like this, it reinforces how far away 2008 feels. Now and again in the summer I’ll pop the championship DVD in and just marvel at how special that team was. The salary cap era team that made it work. Lidstrom and Rafalski doing their cross overs on the power play. That move to their off side felt like a WWE wrestler signaling for their signature finish. Something good was going to happen when they got lined up. Datsuk’s prowess and Zetterberg in his prime. It just feels a million miles away.
I think Kooleus put it well in the comments last time. Yzerman hasn’t been perfect in his drafting. He’s become a GM who cautions over excitement now. The tough lessons of high picks not working out, and the diligent scouting that finds a later round gem. Part of me is as excited (if not more) for our multiple second round picks as the first round. Regardless of how it pans out, I do appreciate the process that the GM has instituted. They want every player to be able to work, and they’re looking at character (as much as you can).
With the draft lotto in the rear view mirror, we’re getting closer to the “wheeling and dealing” season. GMs had hoped 3 seasons ago that the cap would be near the 90 million dollar mark, and that just hasn’t happened. Columbus wants Jones dealt before the draft. Once the playoffs are over, a lot of calls will have been made. Realistically, Detroit will get younger and closer to their “core”. Seeing the process continue is encouraging, and I hope you enjoy watching it all come together.
With the off season for Detroit in full swing, I’m trying to balance giving you content and recharging the batteries. My commitment through the summer months will be 5 blogs per week taking 2 days off. I’ll make sure to put links to the recent posts so you can see if you missed anything. I’ve begun posting on Instagram along with Twitter whenever I do publish something new. The summer months will be a mixed bag of breaking news/signings, some nostalgia bits, and I’m even pondering some hockey related summer reading suggestions. I’ll do my best to give you content during the “down times” to keep the flame burning as we wait for training camp.
Thank you all again for a fantastic season. More and more of you are checking in and hanging out. You’re a huge part of a dream come true, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to talk Red Wings hockey with you. As always, I’ll see you in the comments!
Check out my previous blogs:
There may be some blockbuster deals coming.
Yzerman signs Wyatt Newpower
Carly has coffee with Joe Veleno
Minnesota is out of the playoffs
Florida is out of the playoffs
The Penguins are out of the playoffs and need cap space and draft picks.
Yzerman is looking for two lefty D men
Washington was eliminated from the playoffs
St Louis is out, any players of interest?
The internal struggle
Yzerman working in silence
Cholowski has coffee with Carly
Bernier would like an extension, and Berggren has signed his ELC.
Eemil Viro has signed his ELC, but Petruzzelli may walk.
The Yzerman Press Conference
Blashill was extended, and a mock draft has Wings picking a goalie at #6
Roster turnover
Albert Johansson playing for team Sweden
Are you rooting for former Wings Players in the playoffs?
Thanks for a great season
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