The Detroit Red Wings enter this week’s 2022 NHL draft with 10 picks, ranging from No. 8 overall to No. 212. When general manager Steve Yzerman steps to the podium to announce that first pick, he’ll be doing so with his fanbase’s confidence after hitting on each of his first two picks: defenseman Moritz Seider at No. 6 in 2019 and forward Lucas Raymond at No. 4 in 2020.
But they weren’t always surefire successes, especially on their respective draft night. The disappointment in 2020 of picking at No. 4 despite the league’s worst record in 2019-20 was mitigated only slightly by the potential of a karmic bonus: Hey, Yzerman was No.