The "Yzerplan" is still on track, here's why

I know some of you probably don't want to hear this, but it's true: the so-called "Yzerplan" is still on track and working as it should.

Putting it lightly, I know that this year (so far) has been a massive train wreck. While I agree, I've seen more calls for Yzerman to be fired than ever before by people who don't really know how the Detroit Red Wings future looks and are only focused on the now.

When I first started contributing to Octopus Thrower, one of my first pieces was "Why the Yzerplan is Working." Most of what I covered was about how well Steve Yzerman has done in taking this team from Dylan Larkin to Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and now Simon Edvinsson. I also covered how he made stop-gap contracts line up nearly perfectly for when prospects are projected to jump to the NHL and when certain prospects are due for a contract extension.

What I didn't cover was just how bright the future looks for the Detroit Red Wings and how patience is key when it comes to the "Yzerplan." Something Yzerman himself said was needed if we, as fans, wanted a consistent contender for the Stanley Cup and not just a team that makes the playoffs. I believe he has delivered on his promises so far, and we are close to seeing the fruits of his labors.

The "Yzerplan" still holds many great things for the future of the Red Wings

It's no secret that when Yzerman took over, he had Larkin and a massive pile of super mid to downright bad behind him. There were no other core pieces, and there was no foundation to build upon as he did in Tampa Bay.

His starting point was Dylan Larkin, and that was it. So naturally, after the 2019-2020 tank season, he drafted everybody's favorite "German Machine," Seider, as the foundation for his blue line. Then, he started to build his team, adding to both sides of the ice by drafting Raymond and Edvinsson in subsequent drafts to stabilize that foundation. Yzerman drafted Sebastian Cossa in the first round with the idea of making him the Detroit Red Wings goaltender of the future.

Now that he has his core pieces in his pocket, Yzerman has decided to draft for stability in the first round by grabbing Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson as your potential future second-line and third-line center. Furthermore, taking Michael Brandsegg-Nygard for a solid 200-foot presence, as well as adding some offensive punch to the blue line by drafting Axel Sandin-Pellikka.

With his future core selected likely settled in the first round, he was freed up to take some chances with his mid-round picks to support his future foundation. And boy, did he seem to hit some of them out of the park. The obvious ones everybody knows about are the likes of Carter Mazur (third round), Amadeus Lombardi (fourth round), Dmitri Buchelnikov (second round), Albert Johansson (second round), Elmer Soderblom (sixth round), and more recently, William Wallinder (second round). But some prospects don't get the spotlight, and they look like they could pan out and become NHLers for the Detroit Red Wings in the near future.

First, you have Emmit Finnie (seventh round), who has been a pleasant surprise since being drafted, playing for the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL; Finnie is currently on a two-point per game (PPG) pace and was one of the Detroit Red Wings' best performers in the preseason. Then, you have a more recent draftee in Max Plante (second round), who, after missing the start of the season with an injury, is currently on a heater for the University of Minnesota-Duluth with six points in five games and was selected to represent Team USA in the World Juniors for the third straight season.

Yzerman also hedged his bets by taking another goalie in the second round with Trey Augustine, who currently holds a .930 SV% for Michigan State University and is slated to play in his fifth World Juniors Championship tournament in a row while also being widely recognized as the best goalie in the tournament. Augustine isn't the only post-first-round goalie Yzerman drafted; another one to look for is from the seventh round. Carter Gylander, who won the NCAA Tournament MVP in the 2022-23 season with Colgate University, has already gotten three games in with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Unfortunately, the blue-line prospects get a bit shallower. While there are some prospects with potential, most of them scream third pairing. But there are at least two that, if they pan out, will be very fun to have on the team in the future. The first of them is a second-round pick and right-handed defenseman currently playing on the top pair with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Antti Tuomisto. He's currently at just under .5PPG pace but has a cannon of a shot. If he pans out, there is very little doubt in my mind that he could be the Detroit Red Wings' future third-pairing guy. The other is Shai Buium (second round), who has had his troubles recently, but if he can put everything together, he could be that stabilizing presence on the Detroit Red Wings bottom pair.

It's important to remember that when discussing NHL prospects, they don't develop like other league prospects do. Most of the players drafted out of the first round don't make their NHL debut until at least a year after being drafted. It's even harder for those prospects selected in later rounds to sniff the big leagues. So, the fact that Yzerman has grabbed so much potential in the late rounds to help complement the foundation he built in front of them is pretty astounding. For most of them, their future is still up in the air. It's all dependent on how they develop. So, patience is the ultimate factor here, and I'm confident that things will pay off soon.