Hot damn! We made it!
It’s officially Draft day for the NHL and from trades to picks, there are a number of things we are keeping an eye on. Will the Red Wings make the trade? Who will go at pick 9? What if Michkov is available? Is Steve Yzerman even sleeping?
In the meantime, here is what you should know going into night 1 of the Draft.
How to Watch Round 1
The 2023 NHL Draft is hosted by Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The 1st round will be broadcast on ESPN starting tonight at 7pm ET.
Rounds 2-7 will be broadcast on NHL Network tomorrow starting at 11am ET.
The Picks Tonight
As I am writing this, the Red Wings will pick at 9 and 17 tonight (don’t forget about back-to-back-to-back picks tomorrow in the 2nd round). The unanimous 1st overall pick is Connor Bedard with Adam Fantilli following at 2nd. That leaves room for a lot of players to slide. A lot of analysts seem to think that Russian phenom Matvei Michkov could slide out of the top-5 – that would leave teams like, let’s say, Detroit who have the capital to move up.
As I discussed in a previous article, since becoming GM, Steve Yzerman has shown a pattern with 1st round picks, albeit a small sample size:
- 2019: Moritz Seider (RHD)
- 2020: Lucas Raymond (F)
- 2021: Simon Edvinsson (LHD)
- 2022: Marco Kasper (F)
On the flip side of that you could say that Yzerman will look to add a forward with pick 9. This Draft is particularly top-heavy with talented forwards and the team really should consider adding another centerman or scoring winger to the pipeline…
Pick 17? Who knows. Maybe that’s where we see Yzerman grab a defenseman. I like this Draft for defensemen overseas. All things considered, the Red Wings are in a good spot to walk away with 2 blue-chips at the end of night 1.
Trade Incoming?
I still think Alex Debrincat to Detroit has decent odds of happening. The entire situation just makes sense. From what I’ve gathered on social media, the majority of Wings fans seem comfortable with making that trade if it involves Boston’s 1st round pick next year. I don’t see how the trade happens without pick 17 involved at the very least. I wouldn’t have a hard time parting with that pick if it meant getting a proven scorer into Detroit’s top-6. Is it a gamble? Sure. Can Steve Yzerman afford it? Yep.
I will say, though.. After seeing what Montreal paid for Alex Newhook and how much Los Angeles had to shell up to get Pierre-Luc Dubois.. You would think Ottawa would be shooting for the stars for Debrincat’s return.
There’s also been some rumors (let me emphasize the word rumors) that Montreal has put the 5th pick on the table and Detroit is an interested suitor. That would potentially put the Wings in a position to draft a player like Michkov.
The Order
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Anaheim Ducks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- San Jose Sharks
- Montreal Canadiens
- Arizona Coyotes
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Washington Capitals
- Detroit Red Wings
- St. Louis Blues
- Vancouver Canucks
- Arizona Coyotes (via OTT)
- Buffalo Sabres
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Nashville Predators
- Calgary Flames
- Detroit Red Wings (via NYI/VAN)
- Winnipeg Jets
- Chicago Blackhawks (via TB)
- Seattle Kraken
- Minnesota Wild
- Philadelphia Flyers (via LA via CBJ)
- New York Rangers
- Nashville Predators (via EDM)
- St. Louis Blues (via TOR)
- San Jose Sharks (via NJ)
- Colorado Avalanche
- Toronto Maple Leafs (via BOS/WSH)
- St. Louis Blues (via DAL/NYR)
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Colorado Avalanche (via MTL/FLA)
- Vegas Golden Knights
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