The 2021 NHL Draft will get started on Friday night and the Detroit Red Wings currently hold the No. 6 pick in the first round (yes, we are still mad about this!)
But is it possible that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman makes a bold trade to acquire an additional top 10 pick?
In a recent piece published in The Athletic, Max Bultman takes a look at some ‘Who says no?’ trade proposals, including one with the Vancouver Canucks that would send the No. 9 pick and Loui Ericksson to the Red Wings in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick.
Here is what Bultman has to say about the proposal.
From The Athletic:
Detroit trades pick No. 23 to Vancouver for Loui Eriksson and pick No. 9 — nickraff15
I actually had a trade just like this one in my trade-up scenarios article last week, so obviously I think it’s at least somewhat reasonable. I do think Vancouver ultimately says no, with the value of a top-10 pick hard to overcome, but I think it’s close: Luszczyszyn’s pick value chart has the No. 9 pick as being worth 6.3 GSVA and the No. 22 (which will be the more apt value due to the missing Arizona pick) as being worth 3.7 GSVA. That leaves a gap of 2.6 GSVA, the approximate value of an early second-rounder (low 30s). That sounds about right for clearing Eriksson’s $6 million cap hit, but at a certain point, those values do become academic.
In a draft with a consensus top nine, the ninth pick still gives the Canucks access to an upper-tier talent, and Vancouver can try to mitigate Eriksson’s cap hit other ways, such as burying it in the AHL and saving a little more than $1 million. Vancouver says no here in the end.
I agree with Bultman here as giving up the No. 9 pick essentially to unload Eriksson would not be wise. Maybe if they had the No. 13 pick or so, they would entertain this.
What do you think?
