Everything the Detroit Red Wings did and didn't do at the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville
The first round of the 2023 NHL Draft unfolded at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee yesterday evening. The Detroit Red Wings had two first round selections (numbers nine and seventeen) to play with and were linked via rumor and conjecture to some draft day maneuvering.
Across 32 first round picks and a few hours, not one trade was made, but the Red Wings did bring in two prospects that fill voids in the organizational depth chart. "We have a lot of priorities," said Steve Yzerman of the night's work. "We think we were able to address two of them here tonight."
Pick #9: Nate Danielson, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
In Danielson, the Wings landed a mature and intelligent all-situations center. Danielson might not project as a point-per-game NHL player, which may be disappointing to some Detroit fans given his draft position, but his skillset is one that can make him a useful player for years to come.
"We like all parts of his game: He's got pretty good size, he's a good skater, he's got good skills, he's a two-way center," said Steve Yzerman to the press when asked about the selection. "There's a lot to like about him really. Just a solid all around prospect...We all want good people around us, and we think he's a fine young man."
"To hear my name actually called by Steve Yzerman I didn't actually believe it at first," Danielson said in his media availability. He cited Dylan Cozens and Nick Suzuki as two current NHLers whom he models his game after.
"Size, right shot centerman, real smart player, 200-foot player," said Kris Draper—the Wings' director of amateur scouting—of Danielson. "He's played in all situations...He plays the game the right way...Trying to get some centers, trying to build through the middle."
"One of the things that was interesting for us was [first overall pick] Connor Bedard talking about [how] in the West, Nate Danielson was one of the toughest players to play against," Draper added. "That kind of stands out in an interview. When we heard that, that was something that put a little smile on our face."
By targeting another young center after taking Marco Kasper a year ago, the Red Wings have taken a major stride toward addressing an organizational deficiency. With the selection of Danielson and Kasper, Yzerman, Draper, and company clearly prioritized players who will contribute in all three zones over pure offensive upside. That might not be the most exciting profile on draft night, but it is a skillset that will serve the franchise well when it eventually does return to the post-season.
Pick #7: Axel Sandin Pellikka, D, Skellefteå AIK (SHL)
By selecting Sandin Pellikka, Detroit targeted a player with a different type of profile. The 18-year-old Swede is perhaps the best offensive defenseman in his draft class, characterized by his dynamic skating and puck-handling.
"We think he's a good offensive D-man," said Yzerman of Sandin Pellikka. "He skates well. He's got good puck skills. He's got good hockey sense...A little bit different than what we have in our system." Yzerman added that a classic power play quarterback on the blue line is "something we don't really have and haven't really had."
Where Danielson projects more as useful than flashy, Sandin Pellikka can lay claim to a dizzying mixtape. The symmetry and fluidity of his hands and feet is astonishing. As Yzerman pointed out, Sandin Pellikka can also fill a void for the Red Wings down the road as the quarterback of the team's top power play.
Sandin Pellikka referred to being drafted as "an unbelievable feeling," expressing excitement at joining an organization with a proud history of Swedish defensemen.
He was also one of several prospects who struggled to make it to Nashville for the draft because of flight cancellations in New York on his way west from Sweden. He ended up with a fifteen-hour drive from New York to Bridgestone Arena, the bulk of which he drove himself despite only getting his license about a month ago.
Sandin Pellikka drove with his agent, while his parents were in a car directly behind them. They made their presence known by calling in to the car ahead of them whenever their son appeared overzealous with accelerator. "[My mom] looks out for me," he offered as explanation. "He can drive too. That's a bonus," Yzerman joked.
"The right kind of right shot D," said Draper of the slection. "He was 17 years old, and he played in the World Juniors. By the end of the tournament, he was running the power play...He's really smart, he knows how to manage the game, he knows how to manage the puck, he really moves well on the offensive blue line. We felt that was something that was important to bring into the prospect pool."
It's noteworthy that both Yzerman and Draper highlighted the fact that Sandin Pellikka can provide something Detroit didn't have in its system 24 hours ago.
Yzerman's predilection for big defenseman who can take care of business in front of the net has been well documented, going back to his days in Tampa. Moritz Seider is perhaps the platonic ideal of an Yzerman defenseman: hulking, snarling, but with excellent puck skills.
Sandin Pellikka is something different. At 5-foot-11, he's no shrimp, but he's at least a bit undersized, a fact for which he atones through his skating and skill with the puck.
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It's always dangerous to frame any pick around the idea of "drafting for need." Most players will take several years to make it to the NHL level, at which point the needs of a given roster may have completely changed. Still, the idea of bringing in a player who can provide something different from what you already have to work with is exciting.
Danielson wasn't an exciting pick at number nine. He wasn't as high profile a prospect as Zach Benson or Dalibor Dvorsky, both of whom were available when he was picked. However, I suspect most Detroit fans would have been pleased with Sandin Pellikka at nine and Danielson at 17. To do both, even in the opposite order, is great business for the Red Wings.
No (DeBrincat) Trade
Perhaps the most notable decision of the Red Wings first round was one they didn't make: Swinging a trade (for Alex DeBrincat).
Heading into the draft, there was speculation that Detroit was close on a deal for DeBrincat or might even have interest in moving further up the first round pecking order. Neither of those moves came to fruition.
"We had some discussions with teams on both picks," Yzerman told the press. "When our picks were coming up, the options to move back were interesting, but we had two particular players in each case we wanted to use the picks on." Unsurprisingly, he did not comment directly on the status of a hypothetical deal for DeBrincat.
Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion, however, did address those rumors, saying that DeBrincat "indicated he didn’t want to sign long-term, he never requested a trade, but [he told the Senators] free agency only comes once for him" at his pre-draft availability.
“I’m talking to multiple teams," Dorion continued. "It’s not a big secret, he’s aware of it, and I think we should be up front with it. But at the same time we’re not going to trade him for pennies on the dollar. We feel he’s a really good asset.”
There is no incentive for either Dorion or Yzerman to be candid to the press with respect to their DeBrincat plans. However, it doesn't feel out of bounds to say that what might have seemed like a certainty earlier this week is now in doubt.
Dorion also told reporters that DeBrincat has not yet gotten permission to talk to other teams about a potential extension, since the Senators are not yet satisfied with any of the offers on the table. That's a major variable/impediment here, since a trade without an extension won't make sense for the Wings.
We now know for certain that Yzerman wasn't willing to part with a 2023 first to bring in DeBrincat, but does that also apply to his 2024 firsts? Is Dorion actually comfortable bringing DeBrincat back on a one-year $9 million deal (his qualifying offer) that would usher him straight to free agency next July, or is that just posturing for the press to drive up the asking price?
Yzerman continues to stress that he is in no rush to race back into the post-season, so it's hard to imagine him dramatically increasing whatever offer may be on the table for DeBrincat when he may wind up a UFA next summer, free to come home to Michigan at no acquisition cost.
That situation will be worth monitoring on day two of the draft.