Well, it’s draft day, assuming Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman keeps the No. 13 pick. Even if that’s not the case, it’s still draft day because there’s always a chance Yzerman shocks us and trades back into the first round should he pawn off No. 13.
Since the Wings could be serious contenders in 2025-26 if they add a little more talent to their big club, pulling off a big trade involving that 13th selection shouldn’t be off the table. That said, I got a few burning questions for Steve Yzerman as we’re now just hours away from the festivities, as I call them.
Do you shop the 13th pick and pull off a blockbuster move?
Well, this one’s straightforward. If you’re Steve Yzerman, should you do all you can to shop Pick No. 13 and get someone who can help you now? Doing this will bring the Wings one step closer to breaking through that ugly playoff drought instead of spending the pick on a prospect who won’t help your team for a few years.
If I’m Steve Yzerman, I’m trying to trade the pick. The team he’s got hasn’t made the playoffs in nearly a decade, fans aren’t happy, and the franchise is heading into its 100th season.
Missing the playoffs isn’t an option, and Yzerman already has an outstanding prospect pool. There’s no need to keep that pick.
Or, keep the 13th pick and shop a high-end prospect?
But, if Yzerman insists otherwise, or if someone’s falling right to them, it’d make a little more sense to keep the pick. Every year, someone projected to go in the top 10 tumbles down the draft boards (Cole Eiserman in 2024, Zach Benson in 2023), and that could stop Yzerman in his tracks.
Of course, he’ll need to exercise some quick thinking here. And I’m only justifying this one if Yzerman’s exhausted most of his options as the No. 13 pick looms, or if someone like Porter Martone (just throwing a name out there) looks like he could end up wearing a winged wheel sweater.
But there’s one more way I’d be cool with this - If Yzerman had a player, or players, falling to him that he liked, and he decides to pull off a blockbuster deal by sending a high-end prospect and a mid-rounder in 2026.
Still, Yzerman’s got to have a good deal in place if he plans on doing something like this. And whoever he’d get in return could not, by any means, be a bust.
Which draft strategy makes the most sense here? BPA? Forward? Defense?
Suppose Yzerman either can’t or won’t get a deal done and he’s picking 13th tonight regardless. With what’s essentially a mid-first-round pick, I’m going with the best player available, and you can’t change my mind.
In my final mock draft, that player was Jake O’Brien, and maybe that’ll be the case if and when the Wings are finally on the clock. But if Martone (again, just throwing out a name) is there, then make the obvious move and snag him without thinking twice.
Also, by best player available, I mean that in two ways. One, they need to be the BPA on Yzerman’s board, not mine. And two, it needs to make sense to take them at No. 13.
A player who can produce and brings a solid skillset to the organization is what I’m looking for. Not a high-potential, low-productivity player who would require years of development.
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