Steve Yzerman's smartest acquisition yet: "It will bring Detroit back to the playoffs"

Simon Edvinsson is a Swedish defenseman who was a 6th overall pick in 2021. Since he arrived in the NHL and Hockeytown, he's played a total of 103 games in the league.

He's only played one full season of hockey in the NHL, that being last season, played 78 of those 103 games, which showed that he's more than capable of handling top-four minutes.

His underlying stats should rouse the analytics nerds among us:

All the while, he was on the ice for 70 goals at even strength for the Red Wings, along with ending the year with a +12. This is great news for fans, as Edvinsson is a player who helps the Red Wings control the ice and get the puck in the opposing zone.

His Corsi-for% may only be at 48.3, but it didn't help the team that he started his shifts in the offensive zone 45.8% of the time this year.

With Simon Edvinsson taking the next step in his NHL career after his first 78-game season in the league, the Red Wings can take a sigh of relief.

Edvinsson can let Moritz Seider play his best game, while we could see the rookie defenseman get his minutes pushed up to 23 & 24 time on ice per night.

Could we see a Stanley Cup playoff run in the future with both of these two defenseman at the helm?

It may be sooner than we think; this is all thanks to General Manager Steve Yzerman's genius in drafting.

Caveat emptor; Of course, all pieces in the puzzle will have to interlock before we see it take shape on the ice for sure, but with Alex DeBrincat and John Gibson in the lineup, we could see a breakthrough in the next few seasons.