Inside the Article:
Just moments ago, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman walked up to the podium and selected C Nate Danielson as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Minutes after the pick, Yzerman spoke to ESPN and he made a comment that many Red Wings fans are not going to be too happy about.
Steve Yzerman says what Red Wings fans DO NOT want to hear
Following the pick, Yzerman told reporters that the Red Wings are still in a rebuilding phase.
“We’re still in a rebuilding phase, we’re still in a collecting assets through the draft… we’re still there….we’re not at a point where we feel like, hey we can really start to go for it so to speak,” Yzerman said. “We’re progressing and I hope to be there sooner than later.”
Bottom Line: Now What?
Leading up to the NHL Draft, many said that now was the time for Yzerman to make a big move the Red Wings closer to contending for a playoff spot, but apparently he disagrees with that thought. He made it pretty clear that the Wings are not yet in a position to where they can make a big move and “go for it”, which is NOT what many fans wanted to hear.
What did you expect? I understand that they couldn’t come to terms with Bert, so they traded him. But when they traded Hronek, a guy under team control for several more years, they reset the timeline to be competitive. Yzerman doesn’t want to say it, but he moved the timeline from Larks/Bert/Hronek to Sider/Raymond/and all of the recent picks… including the ones coming up this year and next. They are no longer close.
To Steve Yzerman you are rebuilding unless you are contenders to be champions, which the Red Wings clearly are not. Not that they are not gonna make a run for the playoffs, they clearly aren’t talented enough yet for a cup run = rebuilding for a guy that is a champion.
Jimmy I agree. If you think about it they were never going to be champions with Bert/Hronek/Larks. So Dylan was the only one worth keeping, good moves. Hronek was the best that we had on right side D, but I don’t believe that he ever won a puck battle in his own zone. Huge D liability. Bert might have been a mistake but his stance against the vaccine soured some of the brass who thought that he was not all in to help the team. Locker room attitude is huge at the championship level.