The Detroit News’s John Niyo weighs in regarding the Red Wings’ announcement that Dylan Larkin will no longer be the team’s captain, as well as the managerial mess that the team finds itself in:
Team officials have tried to push back on the building narrative of a dysfunctional front-office search in recent weeks. And to be fair, this isn’t the sort of hire a team should hastily make. Then again, it’s also not one that should begin in July, ideally. Back in April, New Jersey wasted no time in hiring Sunny Mehta, Florida’s assistant GM who was arguably the top candidate on the market. Nashville hired another in former Colorado GM Chris MacFarland in early June.
But this was the path Chris Ilitch ultimately chose back in June, when the Wings announced a leadership change and promised a “seamless transition” while a search committee led by Ilitch, with company president/CEO Ryan Gustafson running point, got to work.
Plenty of intriguing candidates are out there, and some of the names most often mentioned in league circles are assistant GMs with strong resumes: Brett Peterson (Florida), Scott White (Dallas) and Jeff Kealty (San Jose) among them. It’s not as if the Wings have any competition at the moment, either, a point that was highlighted again this week when assistant GM Shawn Horcoff represented the Wings on a league-wide virtual meeting.
They do have business that needs to get done, though. And soon. Training camp begins Sept. 17, with the Wings’ regular season opener slated for Oct. 2 at home against the New York Rangers. But the team’s annual prospect camp gets underway this weekend in Detroit.
And beyond the pivotal decision involving their No. 1 center, the Wings have other core pieces that need to be put in place. Simon Edvinsson, the team’s 23-year-old top-pair defenseman, is a restricted free agent waiting on a new contract. He reportedly plans to show up for camp, but Edvinsson must sign by Sept. 15 to get the maximum eight-year term under the current CBA. After that date, the most Detroit can offer is seven years.
Also waiting on the Wings is their leading scorer, Alex DeBrincat, who is entering the final year of his contract and coming off a career-best 41-goal, 85-point season. With the rising salary cap and all the leverage an agent would want, the 28-year-old winger could command an average salary of $12 million or more.
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