Red Wings loss highlights Steve Yzerman's biggest mistake.

The Detroit Red Wings have officially been eliminated from contention in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs but, thanks to what now look like the very questionable decisions of their general manager, that is only the beginning of their troubles.

The Red Wings blew three different leads against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night in what felt a lot like a microcosm of the team's late season collapses in recent years. The Devils would eventually take the game by a score of 5-3, knocking the Red Wings out the playoffs and perhaps more importantly entering the Red Wings into the National Hockey League's draft lottery.

That lottery however will be one that the Red Wings and their fans will be dreading, with Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman making the decision to trade his team's first round pick to the St. Louis Blues. That pick was sent to the St. Louis Blues alongside a third round draft pick, defenseman Justin Holl, and prospect Dmitri Buchelniko in exchange for veteran defenseman Justin Faulk.

Yzerman likely envisioned Faulk helping his team make the playoffs this season, ending their 9 year drought, but instead the Blues will now receive the Red Wings unprotected pick no matter how lucky they get in the draft lottery.

Yzerman's trades have been called into question in the past, most notably the head scratching trade that sent defenseman Jake Walman and a second round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for absolutely nothing at all, but this could very well go down as his biggest mistake yet should the Red Wings get lucky in the draft lottery.

Unfortunately fans will now have to wait nearly a month to know just how bad this situation is going to be, with the NHL's draft lottery schedule to take place on May 5th.