Updated @ 1:57 PM: The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has posted an article regarding the comments made by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman during his press conference today:
Yzerman would love to make the playoffs, but he’s maintaining a clear eye on the future.
“Every team would love to make the playoffs, we’d be thrilled to make the playoffs,” Yzerman said Tuesday during a Zoom call on the eve of Thursday’s on-ice start to training camp. “Is it playoff or bust? You say playoffs, or bust, meaning you’re prepared to trade all of your draft picks and whatever you have to do at some point? No, it’s not playoff or bust.
“But we’re going to try to win every game and try to make the playoffs, but to me, it’s not at the expense of the future. I’m trying to build a nucleus of a team that can make the playoffs on an annual basis. You squeak in one year and don’t have the foundation to sustain it, and we’ll be sitting here a year or two years from now and we’ll be wondering again.”
Yzerman seemingly filled many holes on the Wings roster, adding goal-scoring forward Alex DeBrincat, forwards J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong, Klim Kostin and Christian Fischer, goaltenders James Reimer and Alex Lyon, and defensemen Jeff Petry, Shayne Gostisbehere and Justin Holl.
The Wings appear to have more offensive punch, are grittier and physical, and have depth behind goaltender Ville Husso, all missing ingredients last season. Whether that’s enough to make the playoffs in what could be a somewhat weaker Atlantic Division remains to be seen.
“I’d love to make the playoffs; the whole city would,” Yzerman said. “Every one of our players would, everyone in the organization, and we’ll give it a shot. We did what we could in the offseason to improve our team without mortgaging really any part of the future, and we’ll continue to get better, and sooner rather than later, we’ll be a playoff team.”
Continued (paywall);
Here’s a bit more from the Free Press’s Helene St. James:
Yzerman has done what he could; now it’s on the players and coaching staff. Camp in Traverse City runs Thursday through Monday, and an eight-game exhibition slate begins Sept. 26 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena.
If health holds up — Yzerman said the one player who won’t be ready for the start of camp is prospect Carter Mazur (leg injury) — then potentially one NHL veteran both on defense and up front won’t make the lineup when the Wings begin the season Oct. 12 at the New Jersey Devils.
Beyond that, there could be a push from Elmer Söderblom and Simon Edvinsson, two draftees who both already have played in NHL games. Adding eight NHL veteran skaters in the offseason doesn’t preclude a prospect from coming in and earning a spot, like Lucas Raymond did in 2021.
“I think first and foremost, you need a roster of 22-23 players, and my feeling is that I’d rather go to the free agent market instead of hoping or forcing any of our young guys in,” Yzerman said. “So really, filling our roster over the last couple years with free agents is to be patient and allow these younger players to develop and play at a reasonable pace, instead of just throwing them into the NHL and hoping they’re OK and hoping we’re going to win games that way. When we are 100% certain they should be in the NHL and help us win games, they’ll be in the NHL. But until then, they have to earn it and they have to be ready, in our judgment.”
