5 gifts for the Detroit Red Wings this holiday season

Steve Yzerman continues to be a gift to the Detroit Red Wings.

The Detroit Red Wings trusting in Steve Yzerman to lead the way with this organization is the right move. I'll die on that hill and continue to stand with the Yzerplan until I find a reason not to believe it. Some folks out there think that Yzerman is not the guy and cannot mimic what he did in Tampa Bay.

But let's get a few things straight. The Detroit Red Wings roster that Yzerman inherited when he took over was bad, real bad It was the leftovers from Ken Holland, who is now actively running Edmonton into the ground and ruining Connor McDavid's hopes of a Stanley Cup championship (story for another time).

However, Yzerman has taken that team full of nothing and rid it of useless money that was tied up with buyouts and bad contracts. On top of that, the draft lottery has been unkind to Detroit. People want to sit and talk about this player and that player that the Red Wings could have had, but it happens every year.

If Detroit landed the top pick and drafted Jack Hughes, it would be a much different conversation. However, Detroit fell and has continued to fall, but Yzerman has been able to find value in his draft picks, and those players are poking through to the NHL already, including those who are already here.

He's brought Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, signed Patrick Kane, and overall been pretty savvy with the players he brought in with the Red Wings organization. There have been a few moves that not everyone likes, but I find it very hard to sit here and criticize what Yzerman has done because this team has come a long way, and they are not done yet.

I'll continue to view Steve Yzerman & the Yzerplan this holiday season as a great gift to the Detroit Red Wings organization.