5 Options for Detroit Red Wings with the No. 9 pick

Last night the 2023 NHL Draft order was confirmed, and the Detroit Red Wings will pick ninth overall. The Chicago Blackhawks won the lottery and will most likely select Connor Bedard as the prize from this draft class. This draft class has been mentioned as one of the best in recent years so the Detroit Red Wings could come away with some serious talent. Detroit also has another selection later in the first round that could be pick 17 or 18 depending on what happens with the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs series, if Florida wins it’s pick 17, if Torotonto wins it’s pick 18; Florida currently leads 3-0.

Key Points:

• Detroit Red Wings will select ninth overall.
• Chicago Blackhawks won the lottery.
• 5 Options for Detroit Red Wings with the No. 9 pick

Red Wings Draft Pick Options:

Center – Zach Benson

Benson is likely to be picked before the Detroit Red Wings selection, some have mentioned the Arizona Coyotes taking him at six but as we know in all drafts sometimes a player can slide. If Benson is in play at pick nine, he could be the guy Steve Yzerman decides to take. Last season Benson played for the Winnipeg Ice in the WHL; Benson played in 60 games for the Ice and registered 98 points coming on 36 goals and 62 points. In the WHL playoffs, he played in ten games and recorded 12 points on four goals and eight assists.

Center – Oliver Moore

Moore is currently ranked as the seventh-rated prospect and is expected to most likely be taken by the Philadelphia Flyers at that pick but again players can fall and Yzerman may look to build up his center depth. One thing about Moore is, it may be a few years before you see him as a Red Wing if he’s drafted at nine because he is committed to playing for the University of Minnesota next season. Moore last season played for the US National U18 Team; he played in 61 games scoring 31 goals and 44 assists. He also played in the USHL for the US Junior team in which he played in 23 games scoring eight goals and 17 assists.

Left Wing – Andrew Cristall

Cristall is the player I like for the Red Wings at this pick. The Detroit Red Wings currently have some good centers and have some coming, a winger who can score would be a nice fit. Cristall played last season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL appearing in 54 games tallying 95 points on 39 goals and 56 assists. In the playoffs for the Rockets this season Cristall played in four games registering just one point coming on a goal. Cristall would also play for the Canada U18 team in six games recording two goals and four assists.

Center – Ryan Leonard

Leonard is a center that Yzerman may decide to draft if the two players listed above are taken and he decides to go center. Leonard like Moore will be a few years away as he is committed to playing college hockey at Boston College. Last season Leonard played with the US National U18 Team with Moore and he played in 57 games, he recorded 94 points coming off of 51 goals and 43 assists. Leonard would later play for the US Junior team in the USHL in 17 games he scored 11 goals and tallied nine assists for 20 points.

Trade

This is my favorite option, I’d like to always keep young talent just cycling through but at this point, we saw the Detroit Red Wings close to a playoff spot and need a solid goal scorer even if Amadeus Lombardi could score as he did before. The player I really want the Red Wings to trade for is Kyle Connor, Connor is a winger that plays for the Winnipeg Jets and the Jets have mentioned they may trade off some players. Connor has played seven years in the NHL for the Jets, in those seven seasons he has played in 466 games scoring 209 goals and 215 assists. Connor has come into his own these last two seasons; in 2021-22 he played in 79 games scoring 47 goals and 46 assists, this season he played in all 82 games scoring 31 goals and 49 assists. Connor played with current Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin on the Belle Tire 13U, 14U, and 16U teams; they also both went to the University of Michigan but just missed each other by one year. These two being teamed back up again would be perfect.

Bottom Line

One thing is for sure no matter where you look for your draft info everyone at this point has the Detroit Red Wings taking someone different. There are two months until the Draft and anything can happen. There are a lot of options on the table for Detroit but one thing is for sure, this needs to be the last time as Red Wings fans we tune in for draft lottery. It is time to make whatever happens with this pick and make the playoffs for the first time in seven years. The future is bright.