Why do you think the Oilers would do that?

Zadina, in my estimation is better player than Yamamoto and still has potential that could be unlocked playing with RNH, Leon or McDavid. He also plays a strong 200 foot game and is signed to a very favorable contract for another 2 seasons and is 40% cheaper than Yamamoto.

Would be very suprised if one of Willander or Leonard were there at 17. Wouldn't be shocked to see them both top 10

Honest question. I'm not trying to be a c^nt

Yamo trade doesn't move the needle for me. I doubt Oilers fans are excited either. At some point a rebuilding team has to take the next step. I'm not saying go all Kenny Holland looking for quick fixes to be mediocre.

But we can't keep using the "we need more picks" crutch. We've had more picks than most teams during Yzerman's 4 years as Red Wings GM. He's done a great job.

But we're in danger of becoming a "pissing into the wind" team if we don't 💩 or get off the pot. It's like we keep making excuses why we shouldn't make an impactful trade. 1 big trade isn't going to ruin the franchise. Or even dare I say it, 2 big trades.

Like what are we doing here? Do we want to improve or not? If we do then we need to get out there and compete for players. This team's future will be built mostly with Yzerman's draft picks. I get that.

But as we all know, there's no exact timeline when things will all come together. Young players develop at different rates. Some quickly. Some need more time. Some will be busts.

My point is I don't want to be here in 5 years sitting on CFACGM and wondering when we're going to make the playoffs. Wondering when this team can be in a position to compete for a Cup.

The last thing I want to hear in 5 years is how we can acquire more picks by taking on cap dumps. Or how many picks we can acquire at the trade deadline.

How did you estimate that?

Yeah, I agree.

I have us taking Leonard at #9 and Willander at #17.

I think Leonard could be the biggest surprise of the draft and could go in the top 5 or 6, ahead of some big names so, I am being pretty optimistic with the Wings getting him at 9.

Willander on the other hand is getting a ton of hype, but he’s theoretically the #3 RHD behind Reinbacher & ASP. With that being said, all 3 of those guys could be gone by pick #12 regardless of order. Again, another optimistic scenario for the Wings to land any of those three at #17.

Estimate what exactly?

Edmonton's bigger problem at large is that they already maintain a gluttony of left-shot forwards in their system: Zadina could be a really cool piece for Edmonton to employ if he regains the kind of potential we saw in Halifax, but the Oilers are in a point in their window where gambling on maybes needs to be kept to a minimum. I think it makes more sense for both sides to consider Yamamoto in a swap for David Perron. Perron combines that highly desirable two-way play with offensive prowess, and fills multiple holes that the Oilers are sorely lacking as of this current moment.

I would start with a package of Berezkin (Edmonton's third-ish best prospect, mileage may vary), Yamamoto, and Edmonton's 2024 2nd round pick in exchange for Perron with enough retention to match Yamamoto's cap hit ($1.65M, or about 35%).

Berezkin recently signed a two year extension with his KHL club and won't be of any immediate use to the Oilers outside of as a trade chip. His ceiling appears to be in the Gusev-to-Radulov tier of Russian wingers, which I think Detroit could find useful. The draft capital is of obvious want as 2024 marks what should be the last true year of the Red Wings stockpiling prospects, and Yamamoto is an everyday third line winger with enough remaining upside to hold some viability in the top six if injury strikes.

This leaves the Red Wings room to do a proper slumping prospect for slumping prospect deal with Zadina, where there's more room for upside in any return.

Right, I absolutely understand your point. My issue is simply timing.

This offseason is just not the year I think we should be making drastic decisions. It’s a great draft class and the free agent class is mediocre. Next year is the year to do what you want them to do this year. And I’d much rather go into next season with a bevy of draft picks that I won’t feel bad about moving and cap space to sign guys from a much more fruitful free agent crop.

Have you watched much of Willander? There's a good chance he's the #1 D taken. He looks great. Mobile big RHD that can skate pretty well. I am pretty doubtful that Leonard makes it past #7 honestly. And if nobody take Willander by the Sabres pick, which there are 3-4 good candidates to do it i would be more shocked if he falls past Buffalo. All of picks 6-13 could direly use a big RHD prospect. That being said, the forward group in this pool is so good it may push them down but I just think it's hard to imagine a world in which that happens.

Great comment, thank you.

I really just used Edmonton as a team that may be looking to shed some salary and add a useful, cheap middle 6 forward with upside.

If Perron is of interest, which I am sure he will get a ton of attention from teams if he’s made available, that would happen at the deadline this season. I don’t see the Wings moving him ahead of the season and a 50% retained Perron could very well bring in as much as a 1st round pick at the deadline. He would def fit in nicely in EDM.

I'm leaning towards keeping that 17OA pick because it's as you say, a deep draft. But those 3 2nds we have are telling me Stevie is going to make at least 1 trade. He might use one of them to move up from 17OA. So many options. We should be excited. I'm also high on Willander.

But I always have to be careful this time of year. I fool myself into thinking I'm a prospects expert and I'm not. The more reading I do the more convinced I am that every damn draft prospect is going to be a future hall of famer. LOL

That Zadina is better than Yamamoto

Kenny once believed Zadina was better than Hughes, Bouchard and Dobson.

The price I listed was very much a "before-the-season" level of return. Depending on the package involved and how Perron's play continues into his age, I would not be against using that first round selection on Perron come the deadline.

But, I find it prudent to point out that depending on how the season shakes out, waiting until February may not be in Detroit's best interest. There is a very strong UFA crop heading into the 2024 offseason and the corresponding draft is not as revered as its 2023 counterpart. Teams will be more willing to move their assets for roster upgrades. It's not unfathomable that the package I listed remains the best that Yzerman can do come the three-quarter mark of next season.

Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if Willander is the first Defensman off the board. Admittedly I’ve only watched him play at the worlds and I came away really impressed with his game.

And yeah, that’s my hope is that there’s a big run on forwards that’ll push one of those RHD to #17.

Well, we shall see what happens. I just hope we make more picks than we trade out of those 5 top 43 picks we’ve got.

Agreed. I hope Edmonton can get the right players around McDavid & co this year, most importantly a dominant goaltender. I’d really like to see him win.

K. So?

I don't understand

Just from watching them play. I feel like Zadina plays a more complete game. I typically favor players with a more well rounded game although, he certainly isn’t significantly better than Yamamoto overall. I do however think Zadina would have better numbers than Kailer had he played in EDM his entire career.

He’s making that comment in jest.

I'm not surprised.

What's your problem?

Oh I see. I'm not a big fan of Ken Holland either