Will GM Yzerman surprise once again in 2020 draft?
Don’t expect Wings to go with goalie at No. 4
Among the memorable moments of the 2019 draft was Moritz Seider’s face when he heard his name called as the sixth selection.
It was a bold — and it looks like smart — decision by Steve Yzerman in his first draft as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Seider had an encouraging first year of hockey in North America, handling himself well while playing in all situation. He projects to be a key part of the rebuild.
Seider, though, was ranked to go somewhere in the teens, and when his name was called so early on the night of June 21, 2019, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Seider’s face erupted in surprise.
That choice leads into this mailbag edition. “Stevie shocked many last year by selecting Seider at 6 overall. What are the chances he does the same this year and selects a player like Yaroslav Askarov?”
Askarov is the prize goaltender in the 2020 class, and the Wings do need one for the rebuild. Filip Larsson (a sixth-round pick from 2016) had been assessed as someone who had the potential to be their goaltender of the future.
There’s certainly time for him to right himself, but he struggled so much with Grand Rapids — where he entered the 2019-20 season expected to be the No. 1 goalie — that he played only seven games with the Griffins (4.01 goalsagainst average, .843 save percentage).
Larsson, 21, was demoted and appeared in 10 games with ECHL Toledo (2.72 GAA, .910 save percentage). Keith Petruzzelli (88th, 2017) had a rough first two years at Quinnipiac University, but had a good showing this season, with a .920 save percentage and 2.01 GAA in 34 games.
Victor Brattstrom (160th, 2018) spent the season in Sweden’s second-tier hockey league (2.13 GAA, .914 save percentage in 45 games).
Yzerman holds the fourth pick in 2020, as the NHL-worst Wings were pushed back as far as was possible in the June 26th draft lottery.
Goaltenders rarely go that early. When the Florida Panthers chose Spencer Knight at No. 13 in 2019, that was the highest one had been picked in nearly a decade (the Dallas Stars took Jack Campbell at 11th in 2010). No goaltender has been picked in the top 10 since the Montreal Canadiens took Carey Price at No. 5 in 2005.
While Askarov is tempting, there are too many high-end skaters available to Yzerman to pass up. The Wings lost out on expected top pick Alexis Lafrenière when they were bumped back to fourth, and forwards Tim Stützle and Quinton Byfield likely will be the next players chosen.
But that leaves Jamie Drysdale, Cole Perfetti, Marco Rossi, Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz as possibilities, all of whom are intriguing.
Drysdale is projected to be a No. 1 defenseman. Add him to the rebuild, and the Wings would have Seider, Drysdale and Filip Hronek to build around for the next decade.
Perfetti and Rossi are both creative, elite centers — add either, and the Wings’ depth chart down the middle would get a boost.
Raymond and Holtz are skilled wingers with great offensive instincts who could help a team that desperately needs to add scoring threats.
In summation, Yzerman will have a choice among a high-end forward, defenseman and goaltender at fourth overall, but his decision isn’t likely to surprise as much as it did in 2019.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings will be published in October. To preorder, go to Amazon.