Yzerman takes the high road following draft lottery loss
Friday's draft lottery was certainly one to remember, as the top pick - highly coveted winger Alexis Lafreniere - has been won by a team that is technically still in the playoff picture, much to the dismay of general manager Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings.
Just as a quick recap, the Los Angeles Kings found themselves on the winning end of the lottery, moving up from 4th overall to 2nd overall, the Ottawa Senators, who had two lottery picks - thanks to San Jose - landed picks 3 and 5, and Detroit slipped from 1st to 4th, despite holding the league's worst record, posting only 17 wins this season.
“They have to do what they have to do,” Yzerman told Detroit Free Press writer, Helene St. James on Saturday. “Anything I say is going to be self-serving. They have to do what they have to do.”
It's admirable of the former Red Wings captain to not speak ill of the process, especially since the Wings have now been bumped in four consecutive seasons, costing them a crack at Rasmus Dahlin and Jack Hughes in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Adding Alexis Lafreniere to that list in 2020 cannot sit well with the Wings' brass, but it's a bitter pill they're going to have to swallow, and there aren't many that could do so with more class than Steve Yzerman.
The Red Wings still have a high pick on the table in a very deep draft. At number four, they will undoubtedly add a potential superstar player like Quinten Byfield - who has slipped on some scouting lists after a lacklustre performance at the World Junior Championships, or even a WJC standout like defender Jamie Drysdale.
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EN DIRECT
12 MAI 2026
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| B | P | PTS | ||
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Doan | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Juraj Slafkovsky | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Bowen Byram | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
| Jakub Dobes | - | - | - | |
| Noah Dobson | - | - | - | |
| Jordan Greenway | - | - | - | |
| STATS COMPLÈTES | ||||