For those of you wondering, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman did address his relationship with the team’s ownership during this morning’s pre-training camp press conference, as noted by the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
Yzerman meets with owner Chris Ilitch regularly and the two understand rebuilding a hockey organization can take time.
“Chris and I have spoken and going back to when he hired me, that it’s going to take a long time, and we’re going to be patient and going to allow our young players to develop, rely heavily on the draft and hopefully over time, these young players that we draft turn into NHL players,” Yzerman said.
“How many years is it supposed to take? I don’t know, is it four, five, or 10 years? Ultimately it’s ownership’s decision when they feel they’re not (comfortable) with the direction of the club or plan, that’s their decision. But Chris and I have spoken about it and he’s understood the process and where we’re at.
“We’re not completely tone deaf. We know the expectations and hopes of our fan base, but we’ll continue with the process and look for opportunities to expedite it whether that’s through trades or free agency, but we’ll continue doing what we have to do.
“Ultimately my job is to do what is right for the organization and we’ll continue to do that.”
Continued (paywall);
Update: Per the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker:
“Well, we’re trying to improve every year. Ultimately, the goal here is to build a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup,” Yzerman explained Wednesday in a virtual press conference on the eve of Training Camp. “You can’t compete for the Stanley Cup, obviously, until you make the playoffs, but our goal, again, is to be a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup. So again, these rebuilds take time. How much time? I can’t really predict, everyone’s is different.”
Yzerman referenced the Draft Lottery, a source of bitter frustration for the Red Wings organization as a whole, as no other team has dropped more spots in the Lottery than they have over the last several seasons.
“Where you finish, what happens in the lottery, who’s available in the draft in a particular year, those things are somewhat out of our control,” he said. “We’ll try to run and we’re going to continue to try and run a good program. We’re going to continue to try and improve each season, with the goal of becoming a playoff team and a team that eventually competes for a Stanley Cup.”
“So I understand the frustration, or maybe the lack of or I don’t want to say patience, because I think everybody’s been pretty patient, but the sense of urgency within the fan base and in our local media, I understand it, but ultimately, you know, you guys heard it when Kenny Holland was here.”
“Like you want to go into a rebuild. It takes time.”
