Inside the Article:
The 1st Round of the 2023 NHL Draft is a wrap, and despite plenty of trade speculation over the past week or so, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman ended up making selections at No. 9 and No. 17. But, according to Yzerman, he had discussions to move up and back with both picks.
Steve Yzerman had offers to trade up, and back in 1st Round
Following the conclusion of the draft, Yzerman told reporters that the Red Wings had trade discussions to move up and back with both of their first-round picks.
“We had some discussions with teams with both picks, even to think about moving up, moving back,” he said. “With both, we chose not to move up. When our picks were coming up the options to move back were interesting, but we had two particular players in each case that we wanted to use the picks on.”
Instead of trading his picks, Yzerman selected C Nate Danielson at No. 9 and D Axel Sandin Pellikka at No. 17.
Key Points
- The Red Wings had the No. 9 and No. 17 picks in the 1st Round
- Yzerman says he had trade discussions to move up or down but he decided against it
- The Red Wings got their targets at No. 9 (Nate Danielson) and No. 17 (Axel Sandin Pellikka)
Bottom Line: Yzerman got his guys
Say what you want about Steve Yzerman and the current rebuild process, but you cannot say that he is not afraid to draft players he believes in the most. Yes, the Red Wings had opportunities to trade up or down on Wednesday night, but Yzerman decided to stick to the Yzerplan, and he got his guys.
