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Yzerman extended Rasmussen and acquired Alex Nedeljkovic yesterday. Both were well done, but the acquisition of Nedeljkovic was nearly a piece of wizardry.
Earlier in the year, Keith Petruzzelli showed no intention of signing with Detroit. The deal with Carolina more than takes the sting out of that loss. A young goaltender who now has NHL regular season and playoff success. An impressive 1.9 GAA and .932 sv% regular season and a 2.17 GAA and .920% post season performance (total 32 games between the two).
If things work well, this is a goalie who could spend the next 7 to 10 years with the organization. That certainly eases the pressure of the current goalie prospect pipeline (or lack thereof). So far, this looks good from every angle.
Well, it’s here. Christmas in July. Draft Day. In all likelihood we won’t know the results of this year’s picks for 3 to 5 years. Seider is beginning his third year, and we’ll have an idea of his NHL potential, but there are still those that insist you don’t really know what you have in an NHL defenseman for 150-200 games played. This is typically the reality of a team picking outside of the top 2 or 3.
It’s not outside the realm of possibility for Yzerman to trade up. At this point, there isn’t much outside the realm of possibility. The Captain continues to improve the team each year. Leddy is a nice addition for the blue line, and Nedeljkovic gets the team significantly younger in net. I’ll count Seider’s appearance as an upgrade (and having Hronek and Stecher in the fold makes for an exciting right side).
So tonight, we’ll find out what needs will be addressed and when. I temper excitement with the knowledge that only 1 - 3 of the names called this weekend will likely make it to the NHL and make an impact. The first and second rounds tend to be Detroit’s better rounds of late.
My “hope” is for a left side defensive stud. Second on my personal preference list is a center. Adding right shot wingers or a center is there, but not at the sacrifice of talent. I assume a goalie will be picked for grooming purposes. It would be nice to have a potential franchise net minder in the mix.
So here we go. What are you hoping for tonight? I’ll do a new post at draft time that will cover both picks. (Assuming one isn’t moved or one added, you never know). We’ll soon have some new faces that will participate in the prospects camp. We’ll get to see them skate and interact. It’s another exciting year for the rebuild.
Check out some of my previous posts:
Yzerman extended Rasmussen and acquired Alex Nedeljkovic yesterday.
Seattle has selected Dennis Cholowski.
While we wait on RFA contract status for Detroit
RedWings TV did a quick hit on centers MacTavish and Lusius as possible draft targets
Detroit acquired Leddy for Panik, 52nd pick
The market for Zack Hyman is blowing up.
Yzerman has kept contracts short and sweet.
In my previous post we looked at the core vs the core values
My fourth “gear corner” focused on equipment for special events.
The Canadiens have to get down to business after the post season ended.
my previous article covered some of the top UFA right shooting forwards available.
The expansion draft is swiftly approaching.
In my third installment of Summer Reading, Chelios found out exactly what Yzerman was like as a leader..
My third “Gear Corner” focused on helmets. 
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