With the conclusion of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Red Wings have bolstered their prospect pipeline for the near future. General Manager Steve Yzerman had a very bold draft as he leveraged extra picks to move up twice in the draft. Early on, the team targeted defensemen to bolster their blue line and their goalie of the future. While they did address their lack of forward depth later in the draft, their forward situation is still a very big concern for the future and will need to be addressed in the coming years. Overall, the Red Wings had a strong draft as they picked for upside instead of where players are now in their development. This strategy could play dividends for the team if things go their way.
Round 1: Pick 6 (6th Overall)
Simon Edvinsson, Defenseman
Many people expected Detroit to go goaltender or forward with this pick. At the time Dylan Guenther was still on board along with William Eklund. Both of which would have drastically improved Detroit’s scoring problem. The team decided to, instead, answer the hole on the left side of their defense by selecting Swedish defenseman Simon Edvinsson. Edvinsson is a very strong skater and his 6’4” frame will do him wonders at the next level. He fits Yzerman’s preferences of big bodied defenseman that are good in the transition game. Edvinsson isn’t afraid to take risks with the puck and he has great puck-possession IQ. This generates breakthroughs and keeps the attack organized for his forwards. His game does have some warts though. For his size his shot should be stronger and it needs to be greatly improved if he wants to be a better two-way defenseman. The other glaring issue is that he began to lose focus late in games last year. With patience these issues can be ironed out. Simon has immense potential and he could be a big part of the Red Wings future.
Round 1: Pick 15 (15th Overall)
Sebastian Cossa, Goalie
Detroit traded up from the 23rd Overall Pick to number 15 by giving up the 48th and 138th picks to Dallas. They proceeded to take goaltender Sebastian Cossa despite Jesper Wallstedt still being on the board. This was a pretty shocking move for Detroit as they just acquired Alex Nedeljkovic from Carolina and then moved up to get another goalie. It certainly isn’t a bad move because you don’t want to only bank on Nedeljkovic working out, but moving up to 15th Overall to pick Cossa was shocking. Cossa is by no means a slouch though as he posted a .941 Save % 1.57 GAA season for the Edmonton Oil Kings. He has a massive frame at 6’6” 197 lbs. Cossa has the size and makings of an elite goalie for the RedWings. He recovers quickly for rebounds and can track the puck very well. His style of play is similar to that of Ben Bishop, however, that is in compassion to how he plays as there is no guarantee he becomes the next Ben Bishop. For the first time in a long time, the Red Wings have a good future in net.
Round 2: Pick 4 (36th Overall)
Shai Buium, Defenseman
In the second round, Steve Yzerman once again traded up a few spots. The Red Wings swapped places with Vegas in exchange for a 4th round pick (128th Overall). Now this move didn’t make a lot of sense to me. If Detroit really wanted Buium, he would have been there at pick 38th regardless. There didn’t seem to be a big need to trade up from where they were already, but the front office seems to really believe in what the kid could bring to the table. Buium is a 6’3” defenseman with a lot of mobility and a high hockey IQ. He’s 6’3” and a left shot defenseman which is still a need for the Red Wings in the long term. It was a bit surprising to see another defenseman go off the board so soon after the Wings took Edvinsson, but they did need a solution on the backend so it wasn't a bad investment. Buium has some pretty good potential for the wings. If he ends up a second-pairing defenseman behind Edvinsson that would be ideal.
Round 3: Pick 6 (70th Overall)
Carter Mazur, Left Wing
With the 70th Overall pick, Yzerman finally addressed scoring concerns when he selected Carter Mazur from the USHL. Mazur, who is a Detroit Native, scored 20 goals and 44 points for the Tri-City Storm last season. Mazur is a two-way scorer that could be a 3rd line penalty killer with offensive upside. One of his biggest qualities is his leadership on and off the ice. The Red Wings could benefit from some additional leadership to help shape the team’s culture. Carter might not end up being a superstar for the Red Wings but he does have some potential to be a really solid player for them. Especially after Detroit lost two of their key penalty killers in Darren Helm and Luke Glendening. He will likely spend a few years at the University of Denver, where he is committed, before he signs his entry level deal with the team.
Round 4: Pick 18 (114th Overall)
Redmond Savage, Center
With possibly the best hockey name someone can have, Redmond Savage was the next pick for the Red Wings. “Red” Savage is another two-way center that Yzerman decided to take a big swing with. It seems Yzerman has a “type” when it comes to centers. He values those guys who can be effective at both ends, much like Yzerman himself after the arrival of Scotty Bowman all those years ago. Savage also possesses a high hockey IQ and the ability to kill penalties which is extremely valuable. He can win his team face offs and get the puck back from the opposing club. Where he lacks in his game is in the offensive zone. There is improvement to be had and there’s hope he can achieve that at the collegiate level.
Round 5: Pick 6 (134th Overall)
Liam Dower Nilsson, Center
For the second straight pick, Detroit drafted a center in Liam Nilsson. Liam is great in transition and can break his teammates out of their own zone. The kid is a great playmaker and could find himself in Detroit if he continues his current development path. Like the other two forwards picked before him, Nilsson is responsible in his own zone and would join a class of two-way forwards for the Red Wings Organization. He projects as a solid bottom-6 forward at the NHL level. Notably, Nilsson also served as the Captain for Team Sweden at the 2021 WJC-18 Tournament.
Round 5: Pick 27 (155th Overall)
Oscar Plandowski, Defenseman
At pick 155, Detroit took offensive defenseman Oscar Plandowski. Plandowski used to be a forward but transitioned into being a defenseman in Bantam. One reason for the change in positions was Oscar’s great transition game. He tends to push the play up the ice and at times acts as a forward, especially on the power play. His speed and agility certainly aid his neutral and offensive game. Defensively, he is alright but he is still relatively raw. There needs to be some improvement in his own zone. Overall, there is some great potential for Oscar to be a power play quarterback at the next level. However, there is plenty of development to go before he can get to the NHL.
Round 6: Pick 6 (166th Overall)
Pasquale Zito, Left Wing
With their last draft selection, Detroit took Pasquale Zito. Now the reports on Zito are a little light because he plays in the OHL, which didn’t have a season last year. His previous season he had a decent year when he put up 13 points in 46 games for the Windsor Spitfires. Not much is known about his game since there isn’t a ton of footage of him so this is a mystery pick. He could end up a diamond in the rough because there was a lack of OHL scouting this year due to covid.
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