Of Red Wings and Steve Yzerman-related note this afternoon:
- NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika discussed the Red Wings’ decision to relieve Steve Yzerman’s duties as general manager:
Long story short: The Red Wings needed patience when Yzerman was hired, and people were willing to be patient for a while. They needed to rebuild. Yzerman had credibility because of his successful background as a player in Detroit and as an executive with the Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning and Hockey Canada.
But the Red Wings didn’t accumulate enough talent under Yzerman. They added young stars in forward Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, but they needed more difference-makers. They were unlucky in the NHL Draft Lottery, never selecting in the top three, and Yzerman couldn’t find solutions.
As time went on, Yzerman was too patient, and others ran out of patience. After the 2024-25 season, Larkin made headlines when he said the Red Wings didn’t gain momentum from the NHL Trade Deadline. After the 2025-26 season, Larkin shocked the hockey world by requesting a trade.
Yzerman indicated June 27 that he would not trade Larkin without receiving what he felt was an appropriate return.
“My job as the manager of the Detroit Red Wings is always to do what is in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings, and I will act accordingly to that,” Yzerman said. “I cannot make any guarantees, or did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met.”
That makes sense. The problem is, with Larkin’s status in limbo, there is too much uncertainty surrounding the Red Wings. How do they move forward until the situation is resolved? How do players decide whether to sign or re-sign with them?
Now everything is in limbo. Detroit is at a crossroads. Was this ownership’s decision, Yzerman’s or a combination? How much did the Larkin situation play into it? Was it at least a catalyst?
2. The Athletic’s Max Bultman ponders what the Red Wings must do next…
Paradoxical as it may be, though, the franchise is still in a better place than it was when he arrived. Back then, the cupboard was barren of prospects — owing both to a 25-year playoff streak that cost significant draft capital, and major drafting misses at the end of previous GM Ken Holland’s tenure — and had had few assets of meaningful value to deal from, either. It was a true ground-up rebuild.
That is a very different situation than the one his soon-to-be-successor will inherit.
While the Larkin trade request still looms — and what this news means for that situation is its own interesting question — the version of the Red Wings that Yzerman is leaving behind has a clear foundation in Seider, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson, a deep pool of prospects and young players (albeit one lacking obvious future stars) and some serious tradeable assets, led by Larkin.
You can argue — and I have — that with their own outlook looking bleak in a loaded Atlantic, the Red Wings’ best path forward, even before this news, was to reset around a younger core, even if it meant extending the playoff drought.
With a management change, that option becomes even more compelling. There are still some big decisions to make — particularly around leading scorer Alex DeBrincat, who has one year left on his contract at age 28 and is eligible for an extension — but the Red Wings as currently constructed (especially with Larkin’s future in doubt) were already a long shot to compete for a Stanley Cup in the next couple of years.
And while they cannot simply punt Seider and Raymond’s prime years — as they did with far too many of Larkin’s — the team the next GM inherits will be deeper and more equipped to pull off a shorter re-tool than Yzerman ever really had a chance to. The leadership change may even squeeze some final drops of patience from the fan base, too.
Of course, we won’t know exactly what the next manager’s vision is until one is hired. And in a changing NHL, executing a vision is always harder than it seems. Yzerman’s tenure reinforced that.
3. MLive’s Ansar Khan examines 7 potential candidates to replace Yzerman:
Tyler Dellow, Hurricanes assistant GM: Ilitch is big on analytics, which played a key role in how he’s shaped the Tigers’ front office. Dellow, who’s spent two seasons in Carolina, is responsible for overseeing data analysis and compliance with the salary cap and CBA. He held similar positions with New Jersey and Edmonton.
Evan Gold, Bruins assistant GM: The Bruins announced this week that Gold, effective Aug. 1, will be departing the organization to pursue other NHL opportunities. He spent 11 years with the Bruins, first as director of legal affairs and starting in 2019-20, assistant GM also in charge of AHL affiliate Providence.
Ryan Martin, Rangers associate GM: He’s spent five years working under Rangers GM Chris Drury following 16 seasons with the Red Wings. Holland hired Martin as the “capologist” in 2005 with the implementation of the salary cap. Yzerman tried to hire him in Tampa Bay, but he stayed in Detroit, where he served as assistant GM for 11 seasons, including eight as Griffins GM. Martin has interviewed for GM jobs but has not served in that capacity.
Scott White, Stars assistant GM: If the Red Wings can’t get Dallas GM Jim Nill, maybe they’ll seek his right-hand man, White, who’s been the Stars assistant GM since 2016. He’s been in charge of the team’s AHL affiliate since 2009 and has served as a pro scout and director of minor league operations. He has interviewed for GM vacancies in Toronto, Vancouver and Nashville.
4. Bleacher Report’s Sara Civian asks 5 questions which the Wings face now…
Is It Time to Rebuild? The good thing about the Yzerplan? The lack of risk taken on and the lack of big decisions made make it relatively easy for a skilled GM with a fresh perspective to pivot.
There’s absolutely no reason to start from scratch here, and Yzerman’s reputation for building a team’s infrastructure holds up. Someone needs to come in with lower risk aversion, a greater willingness to give up some cap space, and greater urgency in the trade market to pounce on elite players.
The emphasis here is on the new GM hire. There’s a lot of pressure on the Red Wings to pick the correct GM to make the moves that will finally complete this team.
What Pieces do the Red Wings Still Need? Of course, the pieces the Red Wings will need hinge largely on Larkin’s future. The need to replace one of the best first-line centers in the game would trump all other priorities. But even with Larkin, the team obviously wasn’t getting it done, so what else is on this priority list?
They got Justin Faulk at the trade deadline last season, and even then, they could still use an upgrade to the defense as a whole to create more competition and speed in the top 4.
Given the strength and depth of the contending forward groups, Detroit could definitely use one or two more top-six forwards. Yzerman had been quite stingy with trading the plentiful draft capital he hoarded, but one of the few times he traded a first-rounder, he was rewarded with Alex DeBrincat.
At this point, the Red Wings have more than enough prospects and should really start to take some bigger swings for higher-level players like that.
5. And in the “audio link” category, the Free Press’s Helene St. James spoke with WDET 101.9 FM’s Pat Batcheller today:
“The team is in shambles that I don’t think we’ve seen since 1982 when Bruce Norris tried to celebrate 50 years of his family’s ownership and was booed off the ice,” she says. “It’s such a bad look.”
When owner Chris Ilitch hired Yzerman in 2019, Detroit had missed the postseason for three straight years. He inherited an aging roster, bloated contracts, and a barren farm system, not to mention Larkin.
Yzerman set out to build the Wings from within by drafting talented young players. The first player he drafted was Moritz Seider, a gritty defenseman from Germany. Seider quickly developed into one of Detroit’s best players, along with Sweden’s Lucas Raymond, who Yzerman drafted a year later.
Still, St. James says Yzerman’s approach to building a roster was too conservative.
“He hasn’t made any bold trades or free agent signings that would excite a fan base,” she says. “I think that’s a huge part of the problem.”
Because of his success as a player, Wings fans might eventually forgive Yzerman’s missteps. But St. James says they might not forget them, either.
“I don’t think you can just sweep this under the rug, this seven years of futility,” she says.
