The Buffalo Sabres, who had a 16.6-percent chance of landing the top pick after finishing the regular season with the worst record in the NHL, won Wednesday's Draft Lottery, edging out the expansion Seattle Kraken, who landed the No. 2 spot.
Yzerman said he's not frustrated that Detroit wasn't able to move up in the Draft Lottery for the fifth straight season and said his staff will make the best of where they landed.
"There's no sense complaining about it," Yzerman said. "Good for Buffalo. I wish them well. We have the sixth pick in the draft. We didn't go backwards. We'll do our best to make a good selection and whether it's the sixth, the first, the fifth, whatever pick you have, you've got to find players. The system is the same for everyone. We've just got to find a way to get good players."
While Yzerman wouldn't reveal his draft strategy or a list of potential candidates, he said the club will take the best player available at No. 6 and he trusts his staff to be as prepared as possible on draft night.
"We do need help in every area, and the reality is, whoever we pick, in one, two, three years, whenever they're ready to play, things can change," Yzerman said. "Our philosophy, our plan would be to pick the best player on the board. Drapes and the guys will continue to finalize their list here in the next month and get ready to go. Our intention will be to pick the best prospect available when we pick sixth."
The 2021 NHL Draft is set to take place virtually with Round 1 coverage on July 23 and Rounds 2-7 on July 24.
The Red Wings will have full coverage leading up to the draft, including prospect previews, player reactions, quotes from Yzerman and more on
DetroitRedWings.com/draft
and on social media