Just now: Ranking the First Round Draft Picks of Steve Yzerman’s Career…

Since taking over as general manager of the Red Wings in 2019, Steve Yzerman has made seven first-round draft picks. While each player has a unique role and is at a different stage of development, who are Yzerman’s best picks based on their abilities, NHL impact, and hype? I ranked all seven first-rounders based on these criteria. Please note that these rankings do not indicate a preference for any one player

Yzerman’s first draft choice is also his finest first-round selection to date. Seider was a reach choice at No. 6 in the 2019 NHL Draft, coming off the board as the second defenseman, despite the fact that there were several good forwards available.

“The Red Wings do not have a ton of depth among defensemen in their system, but this was a shocker of a pick in Steve Yzerman’s first draft,” prospects expert Chris Peters said. “The value of the forwards who remain on the board is substantial. You’d have to believe the Red Wings would bring him to North America right away and let him grow in their own system in the AHL.Peters was spot-on. Detroit sent Seider to Grand Rapids in 2019-20, where he

In 2020, the Red Wings dropped in the draft lottery and missed out on Alexis Lafreniere. It appeared to be a blow to the rebuild, but Detroit fans had no idea that Yzerman and his team had discovered a player who has delivered enormous value.

After spending a draft-plus-one season with Frolunda, Raymond joined the Red Wings immediately out of training camp. This was a surprise, but he earned his spot and has remained a key member of the top six ever sinceThere have been flaws; this time last year, Raymond was coming off a disappointing sophomore season. This year, however, Raymond found another gear. He achieved career highs in almost every scoring statistic, leading the Red Wings with 72 points (Dylan Larkin led in points per game). He’s the second-leading scorer in his class, trailing only Tim Stutzle. Not a terrible haul after losing out on Lafreniere. Not at all.