Steve Yzerman says Detroit Red Wings ‘have to get lucky’

GM Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings have had a rough stretch in recent years, missing the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. Their struggles have not translated to high draft picks, as they have yet to receive a top-three selection, despite having the most losses in the league during that span. This year, with Canadian center Connor Bedard being touted as a potential franchise-changing player and the consensus No. 1 pick, the Red Wings are hoping that their luck will finally change in the upcoming NHL Draft lottery.

Key Points

• The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons
• Detroit yet to receive a top-three draft pick despite having the most losses in the league over the past seven seasons
• They have a five percent chance of receiving the top pick in this year's NHL Draft lottery
• Connor Bedard is the consensus No. 1 pick and could be a franchise-changing player
• GM Steve Yzerman has stated that the team needs to get lucky and that a lottery win would help speed up the rebuild

Steve Yzerman says Detroit Red Wings ‘have to get lucky'

Back in early March, Yzerman made it clear that the Red Wing have to get lucky in the NHL Draft Lottery at some point.

“We gotta stick with it and we have to draft well,” Yzerman said at the time. “We have to get lucky on some occasions, maybe at some point here, maybe this year, get lucky in the lottery and that’ll speed it up a little bit.”

Bottom Line: Red Wings will learn their 2023 NHL Draft fate on May 8

The Red Wings' struggles over the past seven seasons have been well-documented, with the team missing the playoffs every year. While Yzerman amassed a solid prospect pool through the draft, he has yet to land a superstar player to lead the way. The upcoming 2023 NHL Draft lottery represents an opportunity for the team to FINALLY catch a break and select a potential franchise-changing player like Connor Bedard. A lottery win could speed up the team's rebuild and help them return to playoff contention sooner rather than later. The NHL Draft Lottery will take play on May 8th, and at that time, we will find out where the Red Wings will be selected in the 2023 NHL Draft.