Updated 3x at 4:55 PM: So the Red Wings introduced Shawn Horcoff as the team’s interim GM today, and most of the scuttlebutt surrounded Dylan Larkin being injured and unable to participate in training camp.
Shawn Horcoff did discuss his vision for Detroit’s hockey franchise going forward, however, and it’s worth noting. The Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker took note of Horcoff’s remarks…
“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Horcoff said. “I don’t take this lightly, and to be the leader of the Detroit Red Wings organization, a storied franchise, in my opinion, one of the best franchises in the National Hockey League, is something I’m very proud of, and I’m going to take very seriously.”
Earlier this week, Red Wings governor and CEO Chris Ilitch explained during an interview with Bob Wojnowski that he had a “clear vision” for the franchise.
When asked to elaborate on details of what that vision entailed, Horcoff said that while he and Ilitch are in synch on the club’s long-term vision, he’s choosing more to focus on the immediate future.
“I will say this – in the long-term vision, Chris and I are completely aligned,” Horcoff said. “We’ve had conversations on what I feel that needs to be, and Chris kind of made those statements, so I’d reiterate that we both share similar statements in the long term. I think kind of given the situation, I’d rather focus on the short term for myself.”
Horcoff then pushed back on what he felt was “noise” from the outside suggesting the Red Wings weren’t active in preparations for the 2026-27 campaign.
“I want to focus on this season and moving ahead,” he said. “One thing I want to touch on is that there’s a little bit of a narrative out there throughout the summer- a little noise, I would say- that maybe things aren’t getting done. I’m here to tell you we’ve been working diligently in preparation for the upcoming season.”
Horcoff also addressed Larkin’s situation as a disgruntled forward, too, but he did so obliquely, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff noted:
As to the other issue involving Larkin – his aforementioned trade request – Horcoff is sticking with company policy. He’s not going to talk about it.
“It’s a fair question, and I understand that’s a massive area of interest for not just you guys [media], but the fans as well,” Horcoff said. “But again, I want to reiterate that we’re going to keep those conversations private between Dylan and the organization.
“You know, there was a lot that kind of went into that, and we’ve had good discussions with Dylan, and we’re happy that he’s here at camp. He has the full support of us, and we look forward to getting him healthy and back on the ice.”
Horcoff did add one nugget of pertinent information regarding any potential Larkin trade. If a deal comes along that’s worth making, even though he’s wearing an interim tag, he has full authority to pull that trigger and make the move.
“I do have full authority to make decisions on all hockey operations,” Horcoff said. “But having said that, with the Dylan situation, we’re going to keep that private and we’ll deal with that when the time’s right.”
I would argue that the most frustrating thing about this entire situation is that the Red Wings’ organization refuses to talk about anything of importance in straightforward terms, deferring to a future date.
Update: From the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
▶ Restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson is expected to participate in Thursday’s training camp practices but remains unsigned.
“That’s a priority for us,” Horcoff said of signing Edvinsson. “He’s a fantastic player and a bright spot in our organization. We’ll get to work on that and hopefully get something done here shortly.”
▶ With only four exhibition games and a shortened training camp, roster construction will be tricky.
“No one has been through this before with the shortened camp, and it does make it tough to evaluate,” Horcoff said. “But we want good internal competition. We have a good idea of who is going to be pushing for those jobs and we’re going to give them every opportunity to earn that.”
▶ The Wings announced last week Larkin would not be the team captain. As for who’ll replace Larkin, and when (it’s expected to be Moritz Seider), Horcoff said “that’ll work itself out.”
▶ Horcoff would like to work a contract extension with forward Alex DeBrincat, who scored 41 goals last season, and can be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
“He’s a fantastic player and a guy we rely on for his leadership and scoring ability,” Horcoff said. “He’s a local kid who loves being here and loves being a Red Wing.”
▶ Horcoff said there will be a reshuffling of some roles in the front office, but wasn’t ready to announce any changes yet.
▶ Horcoff was excited to work with coach Todd McLellan and the coaching staff. Horcoff said he talked extensively with McLellan this summer about what needed to get done and improve in every department of the hockey operations.
Update #2: From NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika:
Horcoff has a pressing item of business in defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent in need of a contract. The Red Wings’ first practice of camp is Thursday morning.
“Obviously, that’s the priority for us,” Horcoff said. “Simon is a fantastic player and a bright spot in our organization, so we’re going to get to work on that contract as soon as we can and hopefully have something done here shortly.”
DeBrincat, a Detroit native who led the Red Wings in goals (41) and points (85) last season, has one season left on his contract but has been eligible to sign a new contract since July 1.
“Alex is a fantastic player,” Horcoff said. “He had a fantastic season last year. He’s a guy that we rely on for his leadership, for his scoring ability. He’s a local kid, loves being here, loves being a Red Wing.
“We’re going to get to Alex shortly. There’s not a timetable with him. We obviously have some time to get to an agreement with Alex, but it is something that’s on our forefront. We’d like to get him signed.”
Update: Here’s more from the Free Press’s Helene St. James:
On the captaincy
The Wings announced last week that Larkin would no longer serve as captain and don’t have a timeline on what’s next.
“That’ll work itself out,” Horcoff said. “We’re going into the season without a captain. We feel like there’s a ton of leaders in that locker room, lots of guys that are able to step up and fill that role. And honestly, for us, it’s very important that the leadership in that room doesn’t just come from one person. We want it to come from multiple, and we’re hoping that happens early this season.”
On his vision for the team
Horcoff made a point of saying his focus was on the future, not rehashing how the team collapsed for a third straight March after looking in good shape to make the playoffs entering the Olympic break in early February.
“My approach is I’m here, it’s my responsibility now to do everything that I can to make the best possible decisions for the Detroit Red Wings,” Horcoff said. “My goal is to hopefully in the long term prove that I can do a good job and remove this interim tag. But our goal is no different going into this season.
“I think we’re going to take it week by week here. I think it’s going to start with camp. We’re going to evaluate who we have and the players that are in the lineup. A rebuild to me is out of the question. We have too many good players in that lineup. We’ve been close. The last three years in a row, we’ve been really close. We’re not looking backward, we’re looking forward. We want to focus on what it’s going to take for us to get over that hump.”
And you can take this for what you will, per 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield:
Regarding Larkin’s trade request, Horcoff acknowledged that “it’s a massive area of interest, for not just (the media) but the fans as well,” and reiterated that conversations between the club and the player will remain private.
“There was a lot that went into that. We’ve had good discussions with Dylan, we’re happy that he’s here in camp. He has the full support of us,” Horcoff said. “We look forward to getting him healthy and back on the ice.”
Asked if he has the clearance from owner Chris Ilitch in his interim role to execute a trade involving Larkin, Horcoff said, “I do have full authority. Chris is clear. Had good conversations with Chris. I do have full authority to make decisions on all hockey operations. But having said that, with the Dylan situation, we’re going to keep that private and we’ll deal with that when the time’s right.”
Asked when the time will be right, Horcoff reiterated, “When the time is right. For now, our focus is getting Dylan healthy and getting him back and returning to playing.”
Horcoff said he’s not worried about the situation becoming a distraction to the team if it drags into the season. He referenced recent comments by Alex DeBrincat and Moritz Seider that Larkin would be welcomed back into the fold should he decide he wants to stay.
“Dylan’s a professional. His teammates have expressed how much they’re looking forward to having him in camp. Mo made some statements, Alex made some statements. We’re a better team with Dylan Larkin in our lineup, and we’re just going to take it day by day and see how this goes,” Horcoff said.
