Steve Yzerman’s scouting combine interviews with the prolific Medicine Hat siblings ignite trade rumors, as Detroit considers aggressive moves to pair the WHL’s most dominant scoring duo.
It was a busy Saturday at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, with prospects wrapping up the final rounds of their fitness testing before transitioning into one of the more revealing portions of the pre-draft process with media scrums.
As players filtered out from their workouts and became available to reporters, a number of intriguing storylines quickly began to take shape, ranging from the bizarre questions teams reportedly asked behind closed doors to the eyebrow-raising news of which organizations chose to sit down with certain players and why.
None of those storylines, however, captured the imagination quite like the one surrounding Markus and Liam Ruck. The brothers, who starred together on the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, are two of the most highly touted prospects in this entire draft class and are both expected to come off the board within the first 40 picks.
What turned heads on Saturday was the news that both brothers sat down with Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman and his staff during the combine's interview phase.
It is no secret that Markus and Liam have made their preference known that they would love to continue playing together at the NHL level, just as they did in Medicine Hat. That desire, combined with the fact that Yzerman took the time to meet with both of them, raises a fascinating question of could Detroit pull off a move to land the brothers together and bring them both to the Motor City?
Detroit's highest selection in this draft sits at 47th overall in the second round, which could theoretically align with Markus if he were to slip a handful of spots from his current projected position. Elite Prospects' consolidated rankings have him going around 40th overall, meaning a fall of nine picks would put him squarely in Detroit's range.
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Getting Liam, however, is a far more complex puzzle as TSN's Craig Button has him ranked as high as tenth overall in the class, while his consolidated ranking sits closer to 31st, which would require a dramatic and unlikely slide for the Red Wings to have any realistic shot at him with their existing picks alone.
Detroit enters this draft holding all of their picks next year outside of a second rounder, and this year have all but a first and fourth rounder in their arsenal. Yzerman would have the ammunition to construct a trade package if he is serious about moving up to secure one of the brothers while using an existing pick on the other.
The case for making such a move is a compelling one as the Ruck brothers are one of the sport's most dynamic duos in years, potentially as dominant at the junior level since the Sedins with MoDo hockey.
The Rucks finished first and second in scoring across the entire Western Hockey League, and that production was backed up by peer recognition on Saturday, with numerous prospects at the combine citing the Ruck brothers as among the hardest players they've faced from within the draft class.
Markus, despite carrying the lower ranking of the two, actually led the pair in points, finishing with 21 goals and 87 assists for 108 points in 68 games. Liam was right behind him with 45 goals and 59 assists for 104 points through the same number of games, showcasing a more balanced offensive game while operating as more of the finisher between the two.
The Ruck brothers are undeniably one of the most compelling storylines in this entire draft class, and the intrigue only grows when you factor in the broader context surrounding Detroit.
Yzerman continues to face intense scrutiny over the process of the team's lengthy rebuild, and the pressure on his GM chair is as real as it has ever been. Bringing home a pair of elite offensive forwards with a proven, blood-bonded chemistry that has already translated into dominant production at the junior level would be the kind of bold move that could energize a fanbase that has been waiting patiently for the next chapter of Red Wings hockey.
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