The Detroit News’s Bob Wojnowski suggests that Red Wings advisor and former GM Steve Yzerman was relieved of his duties as general manager today because he was unable to keep up with the evolution of the NHL.
Wojnowski argues that Yzerman was too stubborn as the NHL evolved into a league in which players have more “say” in their playing futures, and, as such, he was unable to manage his now-disgruntled captain’s demand for the team to add “help” to the roster. As such, the Wings missed the playoffs these past two seasons, they did not improve substantially personnel-wise, and Larkin asked to leave:
[Dylan] Larkin had his own hammer [in terms of forcing Yzerman’s hand], a no-movement clause that effectively blunted Yzerman’s power. When Larkin offered a list of only three teams he’d agree to, Yzerman knew it would be difficult to win the deal, and said there was no guarantee he’d honor the request. He had a valuable asset, a productive center on a team-friendly contract, and wasn’t surrendering it for draft picks and youngsters.
Yzerman dug in. Larkin dug in. The Wings made modest moves, acquiring rugged forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Keegan Kolesar, but couldn’t revamp further without settling the Larkin issue.
With training camp less than two months away, someone had to break. And maybe that someone was [Christopher] Ilitch, whose team was being bashed for the mess. You could argue it makes sense now to trade Larkin for picks and prospects and relaunch the rebuild. You also could argue it might make sense for Larkin to rescind his request and make amends with his hometown team.
The Wings are in better shape than when Yzerman arrived, but not nearly the shape many envisioned. Yzerman’s unwavering hockey beliefs served him well as a player and as an executive in Tampa, and his credentials in those situations are unblemished. But in the league’s shifting landscape, his principles are framed as stubbornness, and fewer people want to play his way.
He couldn’t make deals, not big bold deals, and he couldn’t deal with it. Or he didn’t want to deal with it anymore. Obviously something had to change, and if Yzerman couldn’t, the Wings had no choice.
Continued (paywall)…”Wojo” is always worth your time…
