Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz posted a set of power rankings for NHL teams over the past 5 seasons, and if bashing “the Yzerplan” was a sport, Gretz would be going top shelf, repeatedly:
30. Detroit Red Wings: This has to be a playoff-or-bust season for general manager Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings.
The playoff drought is now at eight consecutive years overall, including all five years of the Yzerman era.
What makes the results from the past couple of years so disappointing is that they really made some big efforts and spent some big money to bring in veteran players to complement their young core of talent. But have they spent it in the right places and on the right players? That remains to be seen.
When it comes to the 2024-25 season, the playoffs shouldn’t only be a realistic goal—they should be an expectation, especially after narrowly missing out this past season on a tiebreaker. If they fall short again, it is a failure by the front office and a damning indictment of Yzerman’s overall plan and the job he has done. Because right now, the best you can say about his roster is that it finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference one time.
Continued; there is no “playoffs or shoot Yzerman into the sun” plan. Especially with Chris Ilitch letting the Wings and Tigers’ GM’s work with long leashes…
Anyway, Yzerman has been honest about his team being in the middle of a rebuild toward sustained playoff appearances, and while I sure as hell hope the Wings make the playoffs this season, he’s not going to be fired if they miss ’em. Period.
