Detroit Red Wings fans rejoiced in April 2019 when team legend Steve Yzerman returned as general manager. Yzerman was instrumental in building the dominant Tampa Bay Lightning teams we've seen in recent years. He provided a source of hope for a team that was simply going through the motions under old management.
To this day, the hope among Red Wings fans has only grown larger. Detroit has one of the NHL's best prospect pools, and have seen many of their promising prospects begin to make their NHL debuts.
Red Wings fans have coined Yzerman's rebuilding efforts the “Yzerplan,” a play on the general manager's last name. On Sunday, that Yzerplan was in full effect, as shown by a fact shared by Detroit reporter Daniella Bruce.
The Red Wings had Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson, and Marco Kasper in their lineup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This means all four of Yzerman's first-round picks have made the NHL.
Seider was Detroit's first draft pick under Yzerman back in 2019. The German defenseman's selection shocked many, as analysts and fans viewed the pick as a reach. However, Seider has proven the doubter wrong thus far. And he skated away with the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie last season.
Detroit selected Raymond fourth overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Swedish forward made his NHL debut last season, scoring 23 goals and 57 points in 82 games. This year, he has scored 16 goals in 67 games.
Edvinsson was the Red Wings' first-rounder in 2021. The Swedish defenseman made his NHL debut this season after spending most of the year with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.
Finally, the Red Wings drafted Kasper eighth overall just last summer. The Austrian center made his NHL debut on Sunday, less than nine months after hearing his name called on NHL Draft night.
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