The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez declares that the Red Wings’ GM feels no pressure to accelerate Detroit’s hockey team’s rebuild this morning, suggesting that the “Yzerplan” is a survival mechanism with which the “timid” Yzerman remains the GM for at least one more season, despite the “snail’s pace” of the team’s renaissance:
The running joke about Yzerman is that if he had any other name, he would already have been fired as Wings GM. Twice. That’s the problem with hiring legends: It’s really hard to fire them.
My prediction is that Yzerman is safe at least through the end of the 2025-26 season because, as he indicated, Ilitch agrees with his approach and is OK with the snail-like pace of the rebuild.
But there are two other factors that make Yzerman almost bulletproof this season. The first is the Wings’ season-long centennial celebration, the highlight of which will be Sergei Fedorov getting his No. 91 retired on Jan. 12 – with a pricey ticket package required for attendance.
More than anything, Ilitch is a prudent businessman. He’s not about to fire a legend and put a damper on the celebration – and a dent in his wallet.
Then there’s Todd McLellan, who begins his first full-season tenure as coach after replacing the fired Derek Lalonde on Dec. 26. McLellan infused the Wings with life and hope last season, culminating in two seven-game winning streaks.
It wasn’t enough to make the playoffs, but it was one of the few glimmers of hope the Wings have had during Yzerman’s reign.
McLellan should get a whole season to show what he can do. But he could be the key to Yzerman’s future. If McLellan gets the Wings to the playoffs, Yzerman gets a lot of breathing room. But if McLellan struggles and the Wings regress, it would be hard to justify letting Yzerman fire him and continue as GM with a fourth head coach.
Continued; I do not expect the Red Wings to fire Steve Yzerman, and I do not expect the rebuilding plan, whatever the hell you want to call it, to end until it ends, no matter how long it might take to restore the Red Wings to playoff status.
This is the same idiot that suggested trading Larkin if we don’t make the playoffs last year. Rage bait for clicks BS. Then again… Free Press is an dying medium. The only way they can keep the bills paid is through making controversial editorials to get attention.