Red Wings will have No. 6 pick in 2021 NHL Entry Draft

DETROIT --Wednesday night's NHL Draft Lottery revealed the Detroit Red Wings hold the sixth pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Coming into the Draft Lottery, Detroit had the sixth-best odds to earn the No. 1 pick in this year's draft at 7.6 percent, and the Wings had a 15.4-percent chance at selecting in the top two.
The Red Wings had a 30% chance to pick sixth, and it will be the third time in the last four seasons that Detroit holds the sixth overall pick, taking German defenseman Moritz Seider in 2019 and Czech forward Filip Zadina in 2018.
Last season, the Red Wings selected Swedish forward Lucas Raymond with the No. 4 overall pick-their highest selection since taking Keith Primeau with the third overall pick in 1990.
Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman said that with such a wide range of players available in this year's draft, he's enthusiastic about the prospect that will be available when the Wings are on the clock on July 23.
"I think we'll get a good prospect," Yzerman said Wednesday after the Draft Lottery. "We're excited about the possibilities that will be there. I think more so this year than any other year, you're going to have vastly different lists. This one's going to be, maybe there will be more surprises than ever. Sitting at six, there's multiple players we think will be there and we'll be excited about the pick."

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

.