Detroit Red Wings Draft Weekend Recap

Bear has played three seasons for the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. Before this, Bear scored 40 goals in 56 games for Everett. If not for this injury, Bear was making a push to be drafted in the top 12 in this draft. “To hear my name called, it’s a different level of excitement,” Bear said after being drafted. “He makes a lot of plays through defenders and to his teammates. Bear’s skill stands out, but the way he creates offense should likely translate to higher levels. He gets to the net to generate chances, plays fast, and is a good enough skater,” Corey Pronman of The Athletic said of Bear.

The Red Wings drafted eight prospects during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Beyond that, the team traded away several draft picks in exchange for draft picks in upcoming drafts. This indicates that the Red Wings’ brass was not that enamored with the type of player available in this year’s draft. The refrain of every player selected by the Red Wings during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft is that they are difficult to play against and play a 200-foot game.

The Red Wings could not acquire a superstar forward that would improve their lack of scoring during the draft, as was the rumor leading up to the event. Yzerman was not willing to part ways with the seven first-round draft picks in the next two NHL drafts or any of the top prospects in the organization to acquire a player such as Jason Robertson, forward for the Dallas Stars. Robertson, a 25-year-old from Arcadia, California, is in the final year of a four-year, $31 million contract.

That is not to say that the team did not improve in other ways, though. The Red Wings acquired goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. There was no salary retained by the Ducks on this transaction. Gibson had been on the trade market for the Ducks for a long time.

Yzerman said during his post-draft press conference that he and Pat Verbeek, the general manager for the Ducks, had been working on a trade since the previous trade deadline. That Verbeek was a professional scout under Yzerman with the Tampa Bay Lightning starting in 2010 shows just how far back their relationship goes.

Gibson is an upgrade from veteran goalie Cam Talbot, who started 47 games for the Red Wings during the 2024-25 season. Talbot will turn 38 years old, while Gibson will turn 32 shortly. Gibson lost his net to Lukáš Dostál during this season. That is not to say that Gibson has not played well. In 29 games started for the Ducks during the 2024-25 season, Gibson had a record of 11-11-2, a 2.77 goals-against average, and a 0.912 save percentage.

“We were able to address some needs as far as depth in the prospect pool,” said Yzerman during a press conference after the draft. The pressure is on Yzerman to get the Detroit Red Wings team back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in his tenure as general manager.