While Detroit Red Wings fans would've preferred Steve Yzerman to trade the 13th overall pick as opposed to using it for a future, they still ended up with a player who may've warranted top-10 or maybe even top-5 consideration if an injury didn't stifle his season.
Carter Bear immediately reshaped the Red Wings prospect pool when Yzerman picked him last month and, in hindsight, I'm liking the pick more and more. As for the Sabres? You can't say they came anywhere close.
Over my (ultra long) weekend, I read up on some post-draft coverage, and one common denominator was that the Sabres had among the lowest-graded outcomes in the league. While Radim Mrtka fills a need, players like Roger McQueen and Victor Eklund - a pair of goal-scoring powerhouses, were still available.
Red Wings draft wasn't perfect but the Sabres wrote a book about 'what not to do' on draft day
Still, Mrtka wasn't a bad pick, and he could at least add an edge the Sabres have lacked for a while now once he's ready for the big time. Ditto for David Bedkowski, a towering defensive defenseman and a sound complement to Mrtka's two-way game.
As for the others? I don't even know if they'll get much consideration at the NHL level and they factor in as organizational depth, at most. While that's common for players drafted between the third and seventh rounds, every NHL general manager wants to snag at least a few hits here, or at least potential hits.
That's a stark contrast from what the Blue and Gold did last season when they got a steal in Konsta Helenius, who looked great playing against grown men in Finland. Adam Kleber was a big defenseman with Mrtka-like playmaking potential, and their 71st-overall pick, Brodie Ziemer, snagged over a point per game in 2023-24.
Throw in an above-average prospect like Ryerson Leenders at 219th overall, and Buffalo had a very good 2024 draft. But for a team that's likely going into 2025-26 with no hope unless Kevyn Adams shocks the league with a big trade, this isn't the kind of draft you'd want.
Red Wings could've fared better but made the most out of what they had
If you can't make that big trade that you needed, yeah, the fans may've been upset, but you still saved the situation with Carter Bear. Yzerman also set the stage for reversing what's been a disturbing trend lately among his Rounds 2 through 7 picks, landing a solid prospect in Eddie Genborg 44th overall, and taking a high-upside netminder, Michal Pradel, at No. 75.
Though undersized, the Michal Svrcek pick at No. 119 jumped out at me for his versatility and point-per-game output. Overall, while you can blame Yzerman for some shortcomings in last month's draft, the Wings look like they jumped out of the gate way better than the Sabres.
This doesn't mean it'll hold true five years from today. But as far as the eye test goes, Detroit enjoyed a solid seven rounds and the Sabres came up short. We'll see if that assumption holds.
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