Steve Yzerman says Detroit still rebuilding after making 9th overall pick

With the 9th overall selection in the NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings took help at the forward position by selecting Nate Danielson of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. As of right now, Detroit still has another pick in the 1st round. 

Whether or not Red Wings GM Yzerman decides to package the 17th overall pick as part of a deal to acquire some badly-needed goal scoring talent remains to be seen.

Immediately after the pick was announced, Yzerman sat down with ESPN's Emily Kaplan to provide the latest update on the state of the rebuilding process, which is now entering year five of his tenure as general manager since taking over for Ken Holland in April of 2019. 

"We like the fact that he's a big and strong two-way centerman and to see him play in all situations, he's a valuable type of player to have on your team and in your organization," Yzerman said of his selection of Danielson.

When asked directly as to where exactly Detroit was in their rebuilding process, Yzerman said that they're still right in the midst of it. 

“Well, I think I'll try to give you a better answer than last year. Obviously with the picks that we have and the moves we made at the Deadline, we’re still in a rebuilding phase, we’re still in a collecting assets through the draft," Yzerman said. "We’re still there, we’re not at a point where we feel like, 'Hey we can really start to go for it so to speak. We’re progressing and I hope to be there sooner than later, but where we are, again, is trying to use these draft picks wisely and build a stable (group) of good young players." 

Stay tuned for more live updates from the 2023 NHL Draft here on Hockey Feed. 

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