Drafting Sebastian Cossa was a Steve Yzerman fumble

Steve Yzerman did a lot of things right in his tenure as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He rebuilt a struggling prospect pool, drafted franchise cornerstones like Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson and helped give the organization a clear direction.

For Yzerman, his biggest mistake in Detroit might be the 2021 NHL Draft decision that led to Sebastian Cossa becoming a Red Wing instead of selecting Jesper Wallstedt. The pick they used to trade up to the Dallas Stars' position later turned into superstar Wyatt Johnston.

Trading up for Cossa

The Red Wings entered the 2021 NHL Draft with the 6th overall pick and later held the 23rd overall selection. Looking to address their long-term need in net, Yzerman traded up with the Dallas Stars to acquire the 15th overall pick.

Detroit sent Dallas the 23rd overall pick, the 48th overall pick, and the 138th overall pick in exchange for the selection used on Cossa.

Cossa was considered the top North American goalie prospect, standing 6-foot-6 and coming off a dominant season with the Edmonton Oil Kings where he posted a 17-1-1 record, a 1.57 goals-against average, and a .941 save percentage.

The Wallstedt debate

The biggest criticism of the Cossa selection isn't that he was a bad prospect. It's that another elite goalie prospect was still available.

Jesper Wallstedt, widely viewed as one of the best goaltending prospects in years, was available at No. 20 when the Minnesota Wild selected him. Wallstedt entered the draft after playing professionally in Sweden's SHL and was ranked as the top European goaltender by NHL Central Scouting.

Many scouts viewed Wallstedt as the safer pick because of his technical ability, maturity and experience against professional competition. While Cossa had incredible size and athletic potential, Wallstedt had already shown he could dominate against older competition.

The Johnston factor

After trading down from No. 15, the Stars eventually selected Wyatt Johnston with the 23rd overall pick. Johnston has since developed into one of the NHL's best young forwards, becoming a key player for Dallas and a major part of their future.

Of course, every draft decision comes with uncertainty. No team knows exactly how a prospect will develop. At the time, Cossa was a highly regarded goalie prospect and the Red Wings believed they were filling a major organizational need.

But looking back, losing a potential franchise forward in Johnston while passing on Wallstedt creates a frustrating what-if scenario for Detroit fans.

Was it Yzerman's biggest fumble?

Calling Cossa a bust would be unfair. Goaltenders develop differently, and he still has time to become the player Detroit envisioned when they drafted him.

That said, the combination of assets spent, the availability of Wallstedt and watching Johnston become an impact NHL player makes this one of the most questionable decisions of the Yzerman era.

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