Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz offers “Early Bold Predictions” for the 2025-2026 NHL season, and you’ll have to forgive me for disagreeing with the premise:
Detroit Red Wings: Steve Yzerman’s seat finally gets hot
It probably already should be, but if it’s not, it will be when this season ends.
If the Red Wings end up missing the playoffs again — which seems likely given how slow the offseason has been — that will be 10 consecutive seasons, with seven of those coming under Yzerman’s watch.
Yes, he took over a mess.
Yes, rebuilds take time.
Yes, the Red Wings have been extremely patient while he waits for his players to develop.
But at some point you have to start having expectations for something better. You can’t keep blaming the end of the Ken Holland era anymore. Enough time has passed that Yzerman’s team should be ready to be in the playoffs and competing for something. So far, it hasn’t been. And it doesn’t seem close to doing so. This might be the year where the temperature starts to crank up on him.
Continued; Yzerman’s seat may be “hot” as far as fans are concerned, but I’m convinced that as long as Mrs. Ilitch is around and Chris Ilitch is in charge of the hockey team, Yzerman’s got a long, long leash in terms of his job security.
He’s the GM and he will see the rebuild through, whether we like it or not.
