Quick Hits: The Yzerman Report Card Edition
In Red Wings Land
Grading Steve Yzerman’s moves in first year as Red Wings GM | MLive
Here is a look back at Yzerman’s moves – from the draft to free agency to mid-season trades to waiver claims to trade-deadline deals. Some of the grades, of course, could change over time.
Drafting Moritz Seider: A
Yzerman pulled a surprise with his first-ever draft pick as Detroit GM, selecting a big, mobile, puck-moving defenseman from Germany that many draft analysts projected would be taken much later than sixth overall.
At the time of the pick, selecting Seider didn’t look like ‘A’ for Yzerman. However, it seems to have worked out for him and the Red Wings so far.
Overall, I think I would give Yzerman a B grade.
Around the League
The NHL’s coronavirus pause: How the playoffs could work, new positive tests and more | ESPN
What’s the likelihood that the Stanley Cup playoffs are held in empty arenas?
[...]
Logically, a neutral-site playoff would ease the problems caused by inconsistent region-by-region restrictions, create a controlled environment for the athletes and reduce costs of travel for the teams. It would also get the playoffs on the air, creating revenue where there currently isn’t, which is good news for players and owners. What this plan doesn’t do is guarantee that there won’t be someone involved in the games who tests positive for COVID-19, and then all bets might be off.
I still don’t think any playoff games are going to be played.