Can Red Wings find missing piece on defense with pick No. 13 in NHL Draft?

New York Times

3 days ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager of the Red Wings back in 2019, Detroit hasn't been shy about stockpiling defensemen through the draft.
Yzerman used his first pick as GM (No. 6 in 2019) to select Moritz Seider, who quickly became a foundational piece of the Red Wings' blue line. Two years later, he used the No. 6 pick in 2021 on Simon Edvinsson, who has joined Seider as a top-four staple for the long-term future. In 2023, Detroit grabbed slick Swede Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who projects to run the team's top power play in the future. Yzerman's Red Wings have also used a whopping six second-round picks on defensemen since 2019, including Albert Johansson, who turned himself into a nightly regular this past season.
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It's been a lot of draft capital, and in a couple of years, it looks entirely possible that Detroit could have a true homegrown blue line to show for it. Detroit has a pair of true two-way pillars in Seider and Edvinsson. It likely has its power-play quarterback in Sandin-Pellikka. It also has the potential for depth, headlined by Johansson at the NHL level and with prospects Shai Buium, William Wallinder and Anton Johansson all candidates to become regulars someday.
But even projecting down the line, there may still be a missing piece: one more true stopper who projects to play tough minutes in that top four — whether pairing with Seider or slotting in as a physical, defensive piece who enables Sandin-Pellikka to maximize his talents.
And as the 2025 NHL Draft creeps ever closer, Detroit's 13th pick on June 27 may just present the opportunity to find that piece — if a few things break the right way.
The draft's top prospect, lefty Matthew Schaefer, will be long gone by 13. The safe bet is that WHL righty Radim Mrtka, who measured in just under 6-foot-6 at the combine, will be gone too. After that, though, it's a little more open-ended.
The best fit might be Kashawn Aitcheson, a lefty out of OHL Barrie who plays with a throwback level of snarl. Aitcheson measured in at 6-foot-1 1/2 at the combine, and while his thundering hits are certainly a hallmark of his game, he also has plenty of offense, scoring 26 goals this season while putting up nearly a point per game.
Compilation of hits (and a couple fights) of dman Kashawn Aitcheson from the Barrie Colts during his #NHLDraft year. Kash is a missile and throws bone crushing hits, as seen in the clips. The physical aspect of his game makes him an extremely attractive prospect. #2025NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/4SUExiuP5a
— Ryan McArthur (@ryanpmcarthur) May 22, 2025
Aitcheson told me he's still working on the balance of when to get aggressive and make those big hits (or jump into the rush), and when to hold off, which will be part of his maturation process, but the fact he's so capable of doing both is highly appealing.
He also has an impressive feel for the moment — he had two goals (including the winner) and an assist in Barrie's Game 7 win over Kingston in this year's OHL playoffs and led all OHL defenseman with six winning goals in the regular season.
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'I think it's just the bigger the game, the bigger the moment, I think the bigger player I get,' Aitcheson told me in Buffalo. 'That's just kind of how it's always been.'
Put all those elements together — the physicality, the offense, the feel for the moment and the solid size in a mobile defender — and it's easy to get excited.
That said, while Aitcheson plays like the kind of player the Red Wings have coveted, it was interesting to learn he hadn't met with Detroit when we spoke midweek in Buffalo and wasn't scheduled to. That doesn't mean everything, but there are also two potential destinations for him right in front of Detroit's spot, with Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers picking 11 and 12. That makes his path to Detroit look a bit less likely.
Another strong candidate would be WHL lefty Jackson Smith, who certainly fits the long, rangy profile Detroit has targeted in its defensemen. Smith measured in at 6-foot-4, 199 pounds and looks every bit of it. He's also a good skater, has offense in his game and is easy to see becoming a two-way blueliner with serious impact on the transition game.
One thing I find interesting about Smith after speaking with his coaches in Tri-City is that he's been used differently for Team Canada than he has with his junior club.
Coming up, he was an offensive-minded player, and accordingly, he's played more of an offensive role for his WHL team — where his 54 points in 68 games were more than double Tri-City's next-highest-scoring defender. But the national team leaned on him to use his tools more as a defensive stopper.
'I can kind of just switch my mindset to 'just got to shut down these guys,'' Smith said. 'Like, don't worry about the other side of the puck, just shut them down.'
That mindset shift entails being 'a pest in the D-zone, making simple plays, just keeping it simple, not trying to do too much,' he said, and right now, he does take some risks that his future NHL team will want to iron out as he develops.
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Smith also acknowledged the physical side of the game can come and go for him, and feels it's something he needs to bring back to his game more in WHL play. 'But then when I go to Team Canada events I do again, so I think it's just a bit more of a mentality for me, where you need to keep on being physical.'
But while he's still on the raw side, the tools are there if he's able to roll it into one complete package: The offense that can come from his skill and skating and the physical tools to shut down transition offense. If he can do that, and add in more of the physical dimension, the recipe for a two-way, top-four defender is there.
He also has valuable versatility in being able to play both sides of the ice, growing up playing the right side and doing so again at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and at the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge.
'I can play either side, I'm very comfortable with both,' Smith said. 'Gotten a little bit more comfortable on the left side these past two years, but you throw me on the right side, I'll do the same thing.'
As with Aitcheson, there's a chance Smith could get scooped up just before Detroit goes on the clock. Big, toolsy defenseman tend to go early in drafts, and both qualify.
But if that happens — which would likely mean four defensemen going in the top 12 — that's the path for a top winger prospect such as Victor Eklund to still be on the board for the Red Wings at 13. Detroit certainly could use another scoring winger in its system, and there are a handful they met with at the combine who could fit.
If they end up really wanting a 'D,' though, there are a few more names to know. Kitchener LHD Cam Reid isn't as big as the defensemen Detroit usually targets high in the draft — and the Red Wings were one of two teams he didn't interview with in Buffalo — but he's an excellent skater who competes and plays a smart game. It's not too hard to imagine him still finding a way to eat minutes in the NHL, even as a smaller player.
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'It's no secret, I'm not the tallest guy on the ice, but that doesn't mean I can't have an impact like I'm tall out there,' Reid said. 'I just kind of think of it (as) just get in the face of guys, and just try to be a guy that's hard to play against. That's all I really care about.'
There are also a couple of bigger bodies in righties Logan Hensler (NCAA Wisconsin) and Blake Fiddler (WHL Edmonton), though the value gets more debatable the further you go down the list.
The importance of a strong, well-rounded blue line is hammered home every time you watch a Stanley Cup playoff game. It's hard to win at any meaningful level without one.
But if Aitcheson and Smith end up going just before Detroit picks, the Red Wings may have to weigh that against their need for more offensive pop in their forward pipeline.
(Photo of Moritz Seider and Brogan Rafferty: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)