Bally Sports: Frank Seravalli and Pete Blackburn on if the Detroit Red Wings should trade one of their two first-round picks for immediate help. They currently hold the No. 9 and 17 picks.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Seravalli: “The Detroit Red Wings took some solid steps forward last year on the Yzerplan. Didn’t quite get to the finish line in making the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Pete, this year the Red Wings select at No. 9 and 17 overall. We know other teams around them that have multiple picks are going to leverage those to get more immediate help. Should the Red Wings do the same given the opportunity?
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Blackburn: “Ya, I absolutely think so. I think they’re in a great spot here to not only maybe add to the draft. I mean the top 10 in this year’s draft is awesome. So, if they want to keep that nine pick, they’re going to be able to get a good player.
But if they also want to leverage that into another team being hungry for one of those picks, they’re allowed to get a pretty good player that helps them immediately.
I think that if you’re Detroit, you have to make your move at some point, right? I know Stevie Yzerman, his big thing has been patience, in seeing a long-term vision. But at some point it has to come into focus and you really have to make a push. And I think we’re at a point where the Atlantic is maybe seeing a shifting of the powers where a team like Buffalo, where a team like Ottawa, maybe a team like Detroit can start to move up in those standings where a team like Tampa slides down perhaps. A team like Boston starts to slide down.
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So there could be an opportunity for them here to seize some power and finally start to make their move. Whether it’s through the draft or whether it’s moving nine or seventeen. I think either one of those is going to give them options.”