In Red Wings Land

Red Wings’ Steve Yzerman must nail draft pick for rebuild to succeed
A good player will be available: possible choices include defenseman Jamie Drysdale, and forwards Cole Perfetti, Marco Rossi, Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz. The Wings are in desperate need of a player who dominates and makes those around him better.

Pretty much a “no duh” article, but hey: beggars, choosers, etc.

Around the NHL

17-year-old junior hockey player hopes his coming out will inspire others
The reaction to his announcement suggests he needn’t have worried. The outpouring of public support was swift and considerable. It included social media messages from people in the hockey world, like former Montreal Canadiens player Guillaume Latendresse, and former NHL tough guy and current Quebec MNA Enrico Ciccone

Perhaps most touching: the reaction from his peers and teammates. And one of them in particular.

“He came home and started crying because he said ‘I didn’t know you were going through this alone, and you should have told us’,” he said.

Good for him, and it’s heartening to see the reaction.

NHL GM of the year voting results pic.twitter.com/VIy6AgJN1l

— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) September 12, 2020

Good to see Jeff Gorton get 2 votes for winning the lottery.

NHL free agency to start Oct. 9
The free agent market traditionally opens at noon ET on July 1, but it was pushed back this year because of the pause in the season due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

Here are six questions about free agency with the market less than one month from opening: