I love Yzerman, but some of you guys going on and on about Yzerman doing his magic, Yzerman going off the board and finding a stud, try looking at some actual facts. I'll start.

His first ever draft pick at #6 overall was Brett Connolly. Oops.

In 2012 he went for a bit of a reach with Slater Koekkoek at #10. Mistake.

In 2013 he had the #3 overall pick. Everyone knew MacKinnon and Barkov were going 1-2. His team needed d-men to go with Hedman. Instead he picks Drouin over Seth Jones. Big mistake.

He's found some good talent in later rounds, but he's actually done pretty poorly with top 10 picks. Might help to admit that instead of acting like everything he touches turns to gold. Like Lucas Raymond may end up being a really bad choice. It's OK to admit that maybe Drysdale was the much smarter pick.

Final pet peeve is people acting like Seider was some great unknown that only Yzerman uncovered. Sorry but most mock drafts had Seider going between 10-15. Taking him at 6 was a bit of a reach, but try not to get too carried away acting like Yzerman fooled the world. And people act like its just a slam dunk that this was the right call. Seider is a real nice asset and hopefully develops into a #1...but if we had selected someone like Cozens, or Zegras, or Caufield...then a bunch of fanboys here would be hyping that player and not paying much attention to some Seider guy that was drafted by say Arizona.

I'm sure Yzerman himself would shake his head at some of the comments here.


- Kooleus

Your examples are mistakes that he has learned by, and many years ago. The Wings have plenty of chances in this draft to uncover some gold, and , of course some will be busts. You have to admit that this francise is going in the right direction and is in better hands since "we will kick the tires" and "trades are hard" and "we like our team" Kenny. Stevie generated excitement for us as a player and now as a GM that is confidently guiding this team. He delivers!

I love Yzerman, but some of you guys going on and on about Yzerman doing his magic, Yzerman going off the board and finding a stud, try looking at some actual facts. I'll start.

His first ever draft pick at #6 overall was Brett Connolly. Oops.

In 2012 he went for a bit of a reach with Slater Koekkoek at #10. Mistake.

In 2013 he had the #3 overall pick. Everyone knew MacKinnon and Barkov were going 1-2. His team needed d-men to go with Hedman. Instead he picks Drouin over Seth Jones. Big mistake.

He's found some good talent in later rounds, but he's actually done pretty poorly with top 10 picks. Might help to admit that instead of acting like everything he touches turns to gold. Like Lucas Raymond may end up being a really bad choice. It's OK to admit that maybe Drysdale was the much smarter pick.

Final pet peeve is people acting like Seider was some great unknown that only Yzerman uncovered. Sorry but most mock drafts had Seider going between 10-15. Taking him at 6 was a bit of a reach, but try not to get too carried away acting like Yzerman fooled the world. And people act like its just a slam dunk that this was the right call. Seider is a real nice asset and hopefully develops into a #1...but if we had selected someone like Cozens, or Zegras, or Caufield...then a bunch of fanboys here would be hyping that player and not paying much attention to some Seider guy that was drafted by say Arizona.

I'm sure Yzerman himself would shake his head at some of the comments here.


- Kooleus

Point taken but let me say this, when you’ve followed the Wings for a long time and watched Stevie play all his years, there is and he gives a sense of comfort during these rebuilding times. As Wing fans we still hang on Stevie, Mr. I, Bob Probert, Federov, Scotty, Wings vs. Colorado and the list goes on.
So let’s wait and see the direction we are headed. I’m hoping for a solid core team forming and not a revolving door.

Go Wings!

just take the BPA. hopefully its a goalie, D or C. team
- wingz4life

Yes, agreed! i was implying that McTavish would be the BPA in Yzerman's eyes at that spot. In most cases the NHL should be drafting based on BPA, as opposed to the NFL where prospects are older, more complete products so it makes more sense to draft based on need, which we clearly see in the NFL draft.

In the overdrive podcast the guys go into depth on it however the stat is the stat. 13 out of the top 14 paid players in the NHL have not advanced past the 1st round of the playoffs this year. the only player who is in the 2nd round is Carey Price with a cap hit of approx. 10MM. the new cap focused NHL and more so post covid (cash is king) a good/smart GM should be able to build a cup contending team without the reliance on a top 2-3 pick being part of that. Too many 200ft teams beat 100ft teams in the playoffs on a regular basis.

Something to ponder...

I love Yzerman, but some of you guys going on and on about Yzerman doing his magic, Yzerman going off the board and finding a stud, try looking at some actual facts. I'll start.

His first ever draft pick at #6 overall was Brett Connolly. Oops.

In 2012 he went for a bit of a reach with Slater Koekkoek at #10. Mistake.

In 2013 he had the #3 overall pick. Everyone knew MacKinnon and Barkov were going 1-2. His team needed d-men to go with Hedman. Instead he picks Drouin over Seth Jones. Big mistake.

He's found some good talent in later rounds, but he's actually done pretty poorly with top 10 picks. Might help to admit that instead of acting like everything he touches turns to gold. Like Lucas Raymond may end up being a really bad choice. It's OK to admit that maybe Drysdale was the much smarter pick.

Final pet peeve is people acting like Seider was some great unknown that only Yzerman uncovered. Sorry but most mock drafts had Seider going between 10-15. Taking him at 6 was a bit of a reach, but try not to get too carried away acting like Yzerman fooled the world. And people act like its just a slam dunk that this was the right call. Seider is a real nice asset and hopefully develops into a #1...but if we had selected someone like Cozens, or Zegras, or Caufield...then a bunch of fanboys here would be hyping that player and not paying much attention to some Seider guy that was drafted by say Arizona.

I'm sure Yzerman himself would shake his head at some of the comments here.


- Kooleus

He also moves on and fixes his mistakes.

Drouin became Sergachev who is better than Jones.

He was able to turn Connolly into 2 2nds even though neither pick panned out.

And he turned Koekkoek into Rutta.

Again, I think we're in great hands with Yzerman. He's made mistakes. And also made some very smart moves. I'm a big fan.

But some of you guys seem pretty naive...constantly repeating cliches about how Yzerman is going to work his magic and draft someone off the board that will turn into a star. Look around the NHL. I stand by my comment...if we never drafted Seider and instead took Cozens or Zegras or Knight or Caufield...this place would be full of articles about how exciting X is, and 99% of you wouldn't even follow how Seider was doing with another franchise. We're not the only franchise with an exciting prospect like Seider. Some have 2 or 3 guys like that, and a couple others already on the roster.

Again, I think we're in great hands with Yzerman. He's made mistakes. And also made some very smart moves. I'm a big fan.

But some of you guys seem pretty naive...constantly repeating cliches about how Yzerman is going to work his magic and draft someone off the board that will turn into a star. Look around the NHL. I stand by my comment...if we never drafted Seider and instead took Cozens or Zegras or Knight or Caufield...this place would be full of articles about how exciting X is, and 99% of you wouldn't even follow how Seider was doing with another franchise. We're not the only franchise with an exciting prospect like Seider. Some have 2 or 3 guys like that, and a couple others already on the roster.
- Kooleus

Bro bro it’s a conversation board and our team is and has been trending upwards under Stevie so The fan base is uplifted and hopeful. I don’t see the point in coming on here and clearly trying to start arguments just go onto Twitter If that’s what you are looking for.

Bro bro it’s a conversation board and our team is and has been trending upwards under Stevie so The fan base is uplifted and hopeful. I don’t see the point in coming on here and clearly trying to start arguments just go onto Twitter If that’s what you are looking for.
- Bfab91

Oh OK. C'mon Stevie. Work your magic at 6th overall. Surprise all of us with some guy that NOBODY expected, and then we can all drool at his progress, while totally ignoring the impressive progress of others. Sounds like an echo chamber.

But that's OK. Maybe we'll wake up in a few years and say, hmm, Raymond is OK, but it sure would have been nice to have Drysdale. But who could have possibly forecast that? How dare anyone question Yzerman because Seider is so awesome. Got it.

Oh OK. C'mon Stevie. Work your magic at 6th overall. Surprise all of us with some guy that NOBODY expected, and then we can all drool at his progress, while totally ignoring the impressive progress of others. Sounds like an echo chamber.

But that's OK. Maybe we'll wake up in a few years and say, hmm, Raymond is OK, but it sure would have been nice to have Drysdale. But who could have possibly forecast that? How dare anyone question Yzerman because Seider is so awesome. Got it.
- Kooleus

Damn Raymond is a bust already?

Oh OK. C'mon Stevie. Work your magic at 6th overall. Surprise all of us with some guy that NOBODY expected, and then we can all drool at his progress, while totally ignoring the impressive progress of others. Sounds like an echo chamber.

But that's OK. Maybe we'll wake up in a few years and say, hmm, Raymond is OK, but it sure would have been nice to have Drysdale. But who could have possibly forecast that? How dare anyone question Yzerman because Seider is so awesome. Got it.
- Kooleus

I'm not sure who you're arguing with? You seem to be arguing against a strawman.

Maybe you hang out on some other forums where the commenters think Yzerman is infallible, but I have no idea where you're getting that from in this particular thread.

It seems to me like the general observations here have been:

- Yzerman does not always do the "expected" thing (verifiably true)

- Yzerman is, in general, a good GM (subjective, but reasonable)

- This is a very unusual draft with a lot more uncertainty than usual among the top 10 picks (true), so there's a reason to be more hopeful than usual that elite talent might still be available by 6th overall (subjective, but reasonable).

If somebody said Yzerman is correct 100% of the time or can never be criticized or that no other teams have ever made great picks or have a great prospect pool in this thread I must have missed it. You seem to be attacking somebody who doesn't actually exist.

Damn Raymond is a bust already?
- Feds91Stammer

I'm not sure who you're arguing with? You seem to be arguing against a strawman.

Maybe you hang out on some other forums where the commenters think Yzerman is infallible, but I have no idea where you're getting that from in this particular thread.

It seems to me like the general observations here have been:

- Yzerman does not always do the "expected" thing (verifiably true)

- Yzerman is, in general, a good GM (subjective, but reasonable)

- This is a very unusual draft with a lot more uncertainty than usual among the top 10 picks (true), so there's a reason to be more hopeful than usual that elite talent might still be available by 6th overall (subjective, but reasonable).

If somebody said Yzerman is correct 100% of the time or can never be criticized or that no other teams have ever made great picks or have a great prospect pool in this thread I must have missed it. You seem to be attacking somebody who doesn't actually exist.
- Sven22

Just think If Lidstom was the GM, "The Perfect Human", then there would be NO criticism!

I'm not sure who you're arguing with? You seem to be arguing against a strawman.

Maybe you hang out on some other forums where the commenters think Yzerman is infallible, but I have no idea where you're getting that from in this particular thread.

It seems to me like the general observations here have been:

- Yzerman does not always do the "expected" thing (verifiably true)

- Yzerman is, in general, a good GM (subjective, but reasonable)

- This is a very unusual draft with a lot more uncertainty than usual among the top 10 picks (true), so there's a reason to be more hopeful than usual that elite talent might still be available by 6th overall (subjective, but reasonable).

If somebody said Yzerman is correct 100% of the time or can never be criticized or that no other teams have ever made great picks or have a great prospect pool in this thread I must have missed it. You seem to be attacking somebody who doesn't actually exist.
- Sven22

Yeah exactly. Yzerman is easily an above average GM. His top 10 pick drafting record isn’t great and he learned from tire kicking Kenny to give out NTCs to everybody. Nobody here thinks he’s some god of a GM.

Oh OK. C'mon Stevie. Work your magic at 6th overall. Surprise all of us with some guy that NOBODY expected, and then we can all drool at his progress, while totally ignoring the impressive progress of others. Sounds like an echo chamber.

But that's OK. Maybe we'll wake up in a few years and say, hmm, Raymond is OK, but it sure would have been nice to have Drysdale. But who could have possibly forecast that? How dare anyone question Yzerman because Seider is so awesome. Got it.
- Kooleus

I'm really sorry folks on here have hurt your feelings. We'll be praying for a full recovery.

Oh OK. C'mon Stevie. Work your magic at 6th overall. Surprise all of us with some guy that NOBODY expected, and then we can all drool at his progress, while totally ignoring the impressive progress of others. Sounds like an echo chamber.

But that's OK. Maybe we'll wake up in a few years and say, hmm, Raymond is OK, but it sure would have been nice to have Drysdale. But who could have possibly forecast that? How dare anyone question Yzerman because Seider is so awesome. Got it.
- Kooleus

I can see what you're trying to say: Manage expectations. And I think, for the most part, folks here do that relatively well. Being a blog, with hypothetical situations, and un-proven players abound, there's going to be some folks who are more enthusiastic than others....that, too, is normal. The Captain has brought back some hope, lots of surprises, so that's a good thing no matter how you slice it.

Now, let's just say we took Caufield, who happens to be playing in the NHL right now, and he's playing for the Wings right now. What good does that do us.....right now?? Detroit will not be a contender for another 2-4 years, and that's JUST for the play-offs. So, in my mind's eye, the choices made thus far are good for us in the long-term v immediate gratification. Why waste a pick on a guy who's not going to do anything for us when we're not contending? Get a guy and mature them a bit, give them some more development time, bring them along deliberately, and let everything coalesce at a reasonable time. You can't say Raymond sucks, dude. Just not a realistic analogy. And believe me, if Detroit was in the play-offs right now, Seider would be playing, and probably Raymond. But....that's a theory, not reality.

So, in summation, maybe the approach rubbed folks the wrong way.....neither here, nor there. The Captain's doing just fine, as the record and cupboard prove.

I love Yzerman, but some of you guys going on and on about Yzerman doing his magic, Yzerman going off the board and finding a stud, try looking at some actual facts. I'll start.

His first ever draft pick at #6 overall was Brett Connolly. Oops.

In 2012 he went for a bit of a reach with Slater Koekkoek at #10. Mistake.

In 2013 he had the #3 overall pick. Everyone knew MacKinnon and Barkov were going 1-2. His team needed d-men to go with Hedman. Instead he picks Drouin over Seth Jones. Big mistake.

He's found some good talent in later rounds, but he's actually done pretty poorly with top 10 picks. Might help to admit that instead of acting like everything he touches turns to gold. Like Lucas Raymond may end up being a really bad choice. It's OK to admit that maybe Drysdale was the much smarter pick.

Final pet peeve is people acting like Seider was some great unknown that only Yzerman uncovered. Sorry but most mock drafts had Seider going between 10-15. Taking him at 6 was a bit of a reach, but try not to get too carried away acting like Yzerman fooled the world. And people act like its just a slam dunk that this was the right call. Seider is a real nice asset and hopefully develops into a #1...but if we had selected someone like Cozens, or Zegras, or Caufield...then a bunch of fanboys here would be hyping that player and not paying much attention to some Seider guy that was drafted by say Arizona.

I'm sure Yzerman himself would shake his head at some of the comments here.


- Kooleus

ok?
thanks for being the emotional compass of this blog.
you are a brave person for accepting this role, very kind of you.

I'm not sure who you're arguing with? You seem to be arguing against a strawman.

Maybe you hang out on some other forums where the commenters think Yzerman is infallible, but I have no idea where you're getting that from in this particular thread.

It seems to me like the general observations here have been:

- Yzerman does not always do the "expected" thing (verifiably true)

- Yzerman is, in general, a good GM (subjective, but reasonable)

- This is a very unusual draft with a lot more uncertainty than usual among the top 10 picks (true), so there's a reason to be more hopeful than usual that elite talent might still be available by 6th overall (subjective, but reasonable).

If somebody said Yzerman is correct 100% of the time or can never be criticized or that no other teams have ever made great picks or have a great prospect pool in this thread I must have missed it. You seem to be attacking somebody who doesn't actually exist.
- Sven22

he does this all the time, he's very weird. arguing with himself