Sebastian Cossa – G
Why Yzerman picks him over other prospects available: Oh I know. Goaltenders shouldn’t go this high. But do you really think this stops Yzerman from taking him? Cossa has gained traction over the past few months and he fits the Yzerplan “giant” goalie. Alex also writes this:
"Standing at 6-foot-6, he towers over the entrance of the net, daring shooters to find a gap. The problem for opposing teams? His positioning makes it nearly impossible to find any hole in the net. Cossa is fantastic at angling to cut of shooters and positioning to take away any high danger scoring chances."
Why Yzerman passes on him: Beyond taking a goalie at six, Cossa’s experience is still limited. Goalies are the toughest to project and development is key–which doesn’t seem like much of an issue for Yzerman as Seider shows. With many needs in the organization, it seems more likely that Yzerman moves up to snag him from #23 instead of taking him at #6.
Jesper Wallstedt – G
Why Yzerman picks him over other prospects available: Besides the international experience, Wallstedt was between the pipes in the SHL as an 18-year-old. Wallstedt is also a larger frame, but he has a high hockey IQ and is tough to beat with how much of the net he can cover. I wrote about him last month and had this to say:
"Walllstedt isn’t a giant but he is 6’3, and seeing him in the net he covers a lot of real estate. From Central Scouting comes a description that highlights his strengths. In fact, he looks an awful lot like Vasilevskiy with how he squares the shooter and appears to make saves with little effort."
Why Yzerman passes on him: The buzz surrounding Wallstedt has dropped some as well as Cossa getting a lot more attention. But that won’t phase Yzerman. Again, I think it’s more likely he trades up to get Wallstedt from the 23rd spot (unless he falls that far–which I don’t anticipate). Taking him at six doesn’t seem as likely now either with the acquisition of Alex Nedeljkovic.