The Detroit Red Wings and General Manager Steve Yzerman have a big decision coming up. The 2024 NHL Draft will be held on June 28-29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The question remains is will they trade the pick and other assets for a prime piece or do they retool their prospect pool and make the pick?
The Detroit Red Wings and Steve Yzerman must do what's right
The Red Wings have the 15th pick in this year's draft, a pick that is later than in the past few seasons. With that said, this pick is important because it allows them to trade the pick or draft a player who could make a difference. There are a few schools of thought as to what they may do but the decision is not that easy.
One option is to make the pick. The organization does not have the prospect pool it once did as many prospects have either made their NHL debut or have moved on to another organization. The Red Wings do have talent throughout the organization but, aside from a few players, there are not many choices of players who could come up and make a difference. They can draft a player with promise and are highly skilled to bring into their organization, making a long-term investment. The organizational depth is getting slim and they could use this pick to grab a promising player that can help them in all three zones.
On second thought, Detroit barely missed the playoffs this past season and is on the cusp of something big. Last season, they signed forward Patrick Kane, who made a significant difference and was amazing down the stretch.
If they can package this pick with something else to grab a player similar to Kane that could take them over the top and make them a contender nest season. They do need a difference maker and point producer if Kane leaves this off-season and a player capable of giving them a boost as they continue their quest for a playoff spot. Another possibility is to set up a trade before the Red Wings pick at #15. Detroit would draft a player agreed upon between the teams then make the trade after the selection is made.
The Red Wings have had a history of trading draft picks but this would be the highest pick that was traded since June 24, 2016. On that date, Detroit traded the rights to Pavel Datsyuk and the 16th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft to the Arizona Coyotes for Joe Vitale, Filip Hronek, and Dennis Cholowski.
Detroit has many options at this point. However, Yzerman never reveals what he wants to do and this leaves fans and media guessing. Both moves would benefit Detroit but which one has the bigger upside at this points? The Red Wings need help throughout the organization so either move would continue to help them progress towards a playoff spot.