When news broke that Steve Yzerman was returning home to become general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, the attitude in Hockeytown was improved immediately. After all, most were sick of former Wings GM Ken Holland and bringing back Yzerman was the move that everyone wanted to see.
Now that Yzerman’s first season as Red Wings GM is in the books, Ansar Khan of MLive gave a grade to each move he made in Year 1.
Here are the grades from Khan:
Drafting Moritz Seider: A
Yzerman pulled a surprise with his first-ever draft pick as Detroit GM, selecting a big, mobile, puck-moving defenseman from Germany that many draft analysts projected would be taken much later than sixth overall.
Seider, who turned 19 on Monday, has yet to make his NHL debut but made a smooth transition to the North American pro ranks with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. It’s difficult to assess draft picks this soon, but Seider looks poised to anchor the Red Wings’ blue line for many years and should launch his NHL career in 2020-21.
Signing Valtteri Filppula: D
Signing Patrik Nemeth: B
Trading for Adam Erne: C
Trading for Alex Biega: B+
Trading for Brendan Perlini: D-
Trading for Robby Fabbri: A
Skilled forward drafted 21st by St. Louis in 2014, his career was sidetracked by two major knee injuries. Yzerman, continuing to seek value moves, dealt expendable fourth-line center Jacob de la Rose for Fabbri, a top-six forward who provided offense (14 goals, 31 points in 52 games) and is only 24.
Trading for Eric Comrie: C
Trading for Kyle Wood: C-
Claiming Cody Goloubef: D
Claiming Dmytro Timashov: B
Trading Mike Green: B
The veteran defenseman has dealt with injuries and illness the past two seasons and wasn’t going to be re-signed, so getting a conditional fourth-round pick from Edmonton for him was fine. It remains to be seen if the conditions will be met for the pick to be upgraded to a third-rounder (he needed to play half of the Oilers’ games).
Trading Andreas Athanasiou: B-
He was going to be traded, it was just a matter of when. Yzerman opted to move him at the deadline for a pair of second-round picks (likely to be mid- to late-rounders) and veteran forward Sam Gagner from Edmonton rather than wait until the draft. Chances are, no better offer could have been had (first-round pick), especially with the season possibly being scrapped. Gagner may or may not be re-signed to a short-term deal. Regardless, it doesn’t seem like the Red Wings got enough based on Athanasiou’s talent and potential.
Nation, do you agree with these grades?
