Red Wings 2021 Draft Recap

Another disappointing lottery outcome left the Red Wings needing to create their own opportunities at the draft. They did just that, making a couple trades to jump up in the draft and take high-ceiling players:

1. D Simon Edvinsson (Round 1, 6th Overall) - When all of the center options jumped off the board in the top 5, the Red Wings went back and doubled down on defense. There's a lot to like about this kid, who brings comparisons to Victor Hedman, though I think it's necessary to temper expectations there. While they both are long, mobile defensemen, Edvinsson probably doesn't have the same offensive projection as Hedman. While the sky seems to be the limit for Simon, it will likely take a while to realize his full potential, but he has all of the tools to top-4 defensive d-man for a long time.
2. G Sebastian Cossa (Round 1, 15th Overall) - It's becoming clear what Yzerman values in a goalie. Size. Every goalie Yzerman has taken with the Wings has been taller than 6'4". While the sample size is a mere three with Detroit, the trend was similar in Tampa Bay, where he regularly took goalies 6'3" and up, including the current backstop Andrei Vasilevskiy. There are certainly knocks on Cossa, in that he lacks control in his lateral movement, causing him to be out of position, but that's something that can be improved. For a big guy, the word that keeps getting tossed around is athleticism. And that's something you can't teach. The Red Wings moved up 7 spots here to grab Cossa, sending a second round pick to Dallas. Time will tell whether Cossa or Jesper Wallstedt (20th, MIN) end up being the better of the two. Both have the tools, and Wallstedt may be a little further in his development, but Cossa has the size advantage by 3 inches. The taller the goalie, the more of him there is for pucks to hit, but the development needs to continue all the same.
3. D Shai Buium (Round 2, 35th Overall) - Another guy who seems like he could have a whole lot of upside. Has the raw tools to make it, and showed them in Plymouth shortly after the draft in the Junior Showcase, against some of the other top players in his age group from around the world. The Wings moved up here (their second and final jump up in this draft), shipping a 4th rounder to Vegas to jump up a couple spots, and it's not hard to understand why. He will be attending the University of Denver this fall.
4. W Carter Mazur (Round 3, 69th Overall) - Mazur was drafted as a 19 year old, after being passed over last year. Had a big year in the USHL, and at one point, played for some guy named Draper. So the connections are there. And they would know the character of player they are getting, perhaps better than anyone. He will also be attending the University of Denver, where the Red Wings will have 3 prospects, including Buium and 2019 2nd round pick Antti Tuomisto.
5. C Redmond Savage (Round 4, 113th Overall) - A seemingly late selection as far as the USNTDP is concerned, Savage is no slouch as far as praise is concerned. For the USA Hockey development program, it seems like every year lately, there have been 3-5 prospects tagged for the first round alone. He finishes checks and does a lot of little things well. He will be playing at the University of Miami (OH) in the fall.
6. C Liam Dower Nilsson (Round 5, 133rd Overall) - The story that everyone's talking about, is how the Red Wings asked all of Liam's draft eligible teammates whom they would want on their team, and they all said LDN. That's quite high praise. His work ethic and drive have stood out to the organization, and he knows very well that his development is a long term project, admitting as much that he probably wouldn't see the NHL for five years or so. But, his idol was Henrik Zetterberg, so if he can mold himself into the same type of responsible two-way center that Hank was, then this could be another building block in 3-5 years.
7. D Oscar Plandowski (Round 5, 154th Overall) -  On the lower end size-wise for Yzerman drafted defensemen at only 6 feet tall. He adds another right-handed shot from the blue line to an organization that is now flush with that attribute, after nearly a decade on the hunt for one. Should have a chance to grow this year with a couple of older players moving on from his QMJHL club.
8. W Pasquale Zito (Round 6, 165th Overall) - There's not a lot out there on Zito, but this is just the type of spot where it's low risk, with a potentially high reward. Late in the draft, there are a lot of guys that didn't play much due to the pandemic, or just had their seasons cancelled altogether. There are bound to be a few sixth-seventh rounders who would have made huge strides from their rookie years in the Ontario Hockey League, for example, where the season was scrapped entirely. Zito seems to fit this description.

We are starting to see what Yzerman values in players. On the back end, he values a combination of size and mobility, both on defense and in the crease. Up front, size clearly matters less, as he continues to add skilled players, often of a more diminutive stature. Above all, they clearly value character, and with all of the stories you hear after the draft, of Yzerman making these kids uncomfortable with his interview questioning, and asking teammates who you'd want to play with, he's trying to get honest opinions of these kids, and from their peers. And there's no better way to build a culture than that.

Overall, I was torn on how to grade the Red Wings draft as either a B+/A-. I am torn as to where I want to put it. Part of me thought B+ because they may have passed on a couple of really intriguing players in favor of "high ceiling" guys. Another part of me thinks A- because of the moves made at the draft, and how they leveraged their excess draft capital to get a better player in a couple of spots. I need to keep reminding myself though, that this is a rebuild, and it's going to take time.

Without getting one of the top 2-3 picks, well, ever, you need to find other guys that have that higher ceiling, even if it takes time and maybe even a couple of misses along the way. The Red Wings are taking the guys they think have the highest ceiling, and we just need to be patient. One thing is for sure, from his very first pick as GM, he picks have often been headscratchers. No one expected Moritz Seider, but no one is arguing now that he is a legit top-2 defensive prospect. Will they all work out that way? No, not a chance. But as long as they are proving people wrong, you can't really argue with the results.

One thing I wish I'd seen in the draft, was a couple more late round shots. With a lot of the late rounders, many of them didn't have much of a season, and some didn't have one at all (looking at you, OHL). I wouldn't have minded to see the Red Wings have a couple more shots there at guys who weren't scouted all that much.

For now, I will go with an A-, because I think the Wings loaded up with quality people this year. Five years down the road may be another story, but if they can figure out the player development side which wasn't overly productive under Holland, then maybe they can turn a few of these kids into NHL regulars.