Yzerman hopeful Grand Rapids will make the playoffs

DETROIT - From the moment he became executive vice president and general manager of the Red Wings, Steve Yzerman has preached patience.
And if there is anyone who knows about patience, it's Yzerman.

It took 14 years until he hoisted his first Stanley Cup with the Wings back in 1997 and based on the current state of the team, it could be several years before the Red Wings are reunited with Lord Stanley's cup.
In a far reaching post-trade deadline day press conference at Little Caesars Arena, Yzerman addressed several topics, but what was abundantly clear is the playoff fate of the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's AHL affiliate, is very much on Yzerman's mind.
The Griffins are currently in third place in the AHL's Central Division. They have 59 points with 19 games left to play. The top four teams in each division make the playoffs.
Milwaukee (81 points) and Iowa (74 points) appear to have the two top spots in the Central essentially locked up, which means Grand Rapids is in a six-team donnybrook for the Central's last two playoff berths.
Manitoba sits last (eighth place) in the Central with 49 points, so 10 points or less is what separates six teams from third place to last place in the Central standings. It's impossible to predict how the season will play out, but it's a pretty sure bet the playoff race could go right down to the wire for the Griffins.
Grand Rapids' tight playoff race will dictate whether or not Detroit will make any call-ups from the Griffins for the remainder of the season, according to Yzerman.
"We want that team to make the playoffs. We want them to do well," Yzerman said. "We also want to win games here. But there's a priority on those young kids playing in the playoffs. They're in a dogfight to make the playoffs and we have to take that into account. We have four recalls that we can use. We have to be careful how we use those. Ultimately, that will weigh into our decisions on if, who we bring up."
Certainly Wings fans are eager to see former No. 1 picks Moritz Seider (sixth overall, 2019 draft) and Joe Veleno (30th overall, 2018 draft), play this season in Detroit, even if it's for only nine games.
But their wish may have taken a setback when Seider suffered an injury in Saturday's 4-3 loss to San Antonio at Van Andel Arena. At the 17:20 mark of the second period, Seider was checked into the boards behind his net by San Antonio's Austin Poganski in what appeared to be a routine hit.
Seider fell awkwardly and needed assistance getting off the ice. He missed Sunday's San Antonio game and his condition is unknown, but the Griffins recalled defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous from the Toledo Walleye on Monday.

Yet Yzerman didn't rule out the Wings calling up any prospects from Grand Rapids, he just wasn't making any promises.
"The only guys that the nine-game rule would affect is Moritz (Seider) and Joe Veleno. They're the only ones that would pertain to where we would have to take that into consideration," Yzerman said. "I don't want to give you an answer right now. I prefer to let those kids know what I'm thinking as opposed to you letting them know what I'm thinking.
"(Seider's) out right now. I'm not sure if he's going to be out long-term. I don't think it's long-term. It's something to consider but I would say don't sit waiting for it to happen. It's something we have to consider but until he's back in the lineup, it's not something I'm going to think about."
Yzerman has been encouraged by what he's witnessed in Grand Rapids.
"Joe Veleno has had a real good year. His numbers aren't great but he's played in all situations. He's played regular, he's played a lot. I think the coaching staff there has done a really good job with being patient with him, allowing him to play a significant role there," Yzerman said. "I think he's really thrived. I had a chance to go watch him at the world juniors and I thought he did really well.
"As a 19-year-old in the tournament, one of the older guys, he really took charge and really asserted himself well. So it's been a really challenging year for him but I think he's really embraced it and I think he's done really well. His numbers aren't fantastic but he's really developing as a hockey player. So I think it's been really good."
As much as he likes to temper the expectation level for Seider, Yzerman's well aware the young German defenseman has put together an impressive season for the Griffins.
"Moritz Seider, again we're really pleased with his development. He's playing a lot," Yzerman said. "At the start of the season, I thought he would average 17 minutes, 18 minutes maybe. I looked at the ice time recently, he's been 25, even 27 minutes a game. An 18-year-old D-man in that league, it's tough.
"He's playing in all situations again and he's touching the puck. We watched him play a lot last year on the men's team in Germany and he didn't get a lot of PP time. Here in GR, he's getting on there and he's handling the puck and you see his play along the blueline and the offensive part of his game coming and being able to log those big minutes is great experience for him."
Another prospect that Yzerman has liked what he's seen is Michael Rasmussen, the 2017 No. 1 pick, sixth overall, who has played center for the Griffins the entire season.
"Michael Rasmussen, he missed time. He had a good start to the season. He's missed some time with a back injury. He got back in just before Christmas and he's playing, he's playing regular and just kind of grinding it out. He's a (second)-year pro," Yzerman said. "I'm really pleased with how they're all doing. They're helping our team down there. They're playing important roles. And they've kind of embraced it. They're not sitting there as three first-round picks with a sense of entitlement. They're there, working hard and doing the things necessary to become good NHLers. "
It's always been common knowledge that to become a Red Wing, you have to earn your way up through the ranks, and it appears several prospects are well on their way to wearing the red and white sooner rather than later.