Author: George Malik

From the NHL:

MLive’s Ansar Khan believes that the Red Wings’ GM search may yield a resolution to the Dylan Larkin situation that doesn’t involve a trade away from Detroit:

News that Larkin wanted out broke on June 4. Larkin has not spoken publicly about the reason but it’s clearly a combination of the direction of a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs in 10 years and his acrimonious relationship with Yzerman.

Larkin, who has a full no-movement clause, originally submitted a list of three teams he would agree to join – Florida, Minnesota and Vegas. He since added Dallas to the list.

A move to any of those teams was going to be difficult for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the Red Wings’ desire to get back NHL-ready players, including a top-line center, and those clubs’ reluctance to part with such players.

Yzerman has spoken publicly only once since Larkin asked out, after the draft on June 27 when he said he could not guarantee Larkin would be traded and declined to elaborate on the situation or field questions about the matter.

Losing Larkin without acquiring a comparable player would be a huge setback for the team. He has scored 30 or more goals in each of the past five seasons for a team that ranked 30^th in the NHL in five-on-five scoring.

Nope. Larkin’s going away.

I can only laugh at the timing of Bleacher Report’s Sara Civian declaring the Red Wings a 2026 offseason loser:

Loser: The Red Wings

Nothing quite tells you you’re “losing” the offseason like firing your franchise legend of a GM after nearly a decade of stagnation and failure to make the playoffs.

This offseason has been a mess for the Red Wings, and things got messier — but likely better in the long run — as they announced the firing of GM Steve Yzerman on Wednesday morning.

Let’s take a look at the conundrum he found himself in that the next GM will inherit.

So the Red Wings have moved Steve Yzerman to the role of senior advisor to CEO and Governor Chris Ilitch.

The Wings need a new GM.

Here are some Twitter thoughts about the situation.

So Steve Yzerman is now a senior advisor to CEO and Governor Chris Ilitch.

The Red Wings *have* chosen to make a change at GM. Shocking but not surprising.

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2026

My initial gut feeling is that Shawn Horcoff and Kris Draper are gonna be the first candidates interviewed for GM.

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2026

Another potential GM candidate: Nicklas Lidstrom. https://t.co/frCsPCbjVQ

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2026

FWIW Also:

This doesn’t mean that the “Yzerplan” has changed.

It means that the “Yzerplan” will be carried out by the GM who’s going to trade Dylan Larkin.

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2026

Also FWIW: The Red Wings-Dylan Larkin divorce is still on.

You don’t tell the organization that you want a trade and walk it back, captain or no captain.

That relationship is over.

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2026

It was both Jim Nill leaving and Joe McDonnell leaving as the director of amateur scouting. Tyler Wright did a terrible job as the Wings drafted the Rasmussens, Svechnikovs and Velenos of the world in the mid-teens. https://t.co/CGM72zyW60

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 15, 2026

What are your thoughts?

I wasn’t going to “blog for free” forever. This blog continues to remain commercial-free, and I’m committed to keeping it that way, but that means that you have to put up with me asking for $ from time to time.

This time around, Aunt Annie and I are requesting assistance for what is an existential issue–remaining in our home.

Aunt Annie and I live on subsistence wages. Between her Social Security check and my State of Michigan paycheck from Adult Services (I thankfully get paid for taking care of her), we make just enough money to barely pay our monthly bills, and no more. We’re a low-income household, and that’s why I can’t do this blog for free.

So we’ve really struggled with paying our property taxes since my mom died six and-a-half years ago. Some years, we’ve been able to get help from our family and friends; last year, Aunt Annie had her jewelry collection melted down so that we could remain in our 55-and-up condominium complex.

This year, we’re “on our own,” so I’ve started a GoFundMe to help us pay the property taxes.

A shocker:

An update from the Detroit Red Wings.

Read more » https://t.co/sBjMqnwnJh pic.twitter.com/wOKf92ZrXK

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 15, 2026

Red Wings announce a Steve Yzerman out as GM, will now be senior advisor to Governor and CEO, Chris Ilitch. A search for a new head of hockey operations is underway.

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 15, 2026

“The Detroit Red Wings today announced a change in hockey operations leadership, with Steve Yzerman transitioning from his role as Executive Vice President and General Manager. Yzerman will continue serving the organization as senior advisor to Governor and CEO, Chris Ilitch. A… https://t.co/jimabRRy78

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) July 15, 2026

In a major development, the Red Wings announce Steve Yzerman is stepping down as the team’s head of Hockey Operations and becoming an advisor to Chris Ilitch.

A search for the team’s next President/GM is underway https://t.co/fPwD8KbqVq

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 15, 2026

RED WINGS ANNOUNCE LEADERSHIP TRANSITION 

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today announced a change in hockey operations leadership, with Steve Yzerman transitioning from his role as Executive Vice President and General Manager. Yzerman will continue serving the organization as senior advisor to Governor and CEO, Chris Ilitch. A search for a new head of hockey operations is underway.

“Steve’s lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization,” said Ilitch. “We are thankful for Steve’s hard work and dedication as General Manager and are grateful knowing Steve will remain where he belongs – here with the Red Wings family.”   

“I am sincerely grateful to Chris and the entire Ilitch family,” said Yzerman. “This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as General Manager. I’ve appreciated every experience throughout the years, and I’m extremely proud to remain part of this great franchise.”

Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson fires up his “BS Meter” this morning, determining whether the hype regarding 5 significant offseason storylines matches the importance of each individual story. One of his significant stories is the Dylan Larkin situation:

Have the Detroit Red Wings Set Too High a Price for Dylan Larkin?

On June 5, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had requested a trade. Two days later, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported the 29-year-old center listed the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers as his preferred destinations.

MLive.com’s Ansar Khan reported on July 9 that Larkin had expanded his list to include the Dallas Stars. However, it doesn’t appear the Red Wings are close to moving the two-way center.

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler follows up his Top 100 drafted skater prospects list with a list of the Top 20 NHL goalie prospects this morning.

Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine finishes 3rd–with Montreal’s Jacob Fowler and San Jose’s Joshua Ravensbergen ahead of the Wings’ Michigan State University product—and Michal Postava finishes 18th:

Trey Augustine

Height: 6′ 1″

Weight: 194 Ibs

DOB: Feb. 23, 2005

One of my favorite prospects in hockey, Augustine is the definition of calm, cool and collected, and, for me, the best goalie prospect to come through the national program since Spencer Knight. He was a big reason for Michigan State’s revival as a top program, finishing this season as a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker and winning the Big Ten’s goalie of the year award. And while he started his pro career 0-2-0 with a .878 save percentage in his first two AHL games, I watched both and felt he looked fine. The trade of Sebastian Cossa and the pending graduation of Michal Postava have opened the door for him to get a real run with Grand Rapids next year.

NHL.com checks in on the Detroit Red Wings via a mid-summer “Team Reset,” and NHL.com’s Wes Crosby surmises that Detroit’s “reset” is not yet finished:

What they still need

A resolution to the Dylan Larkin saga. The 29-year-old center and Detroit captain requested a trade after last season, which became public knowledge June 4. As it stands, Larkin remains with the Red Wings and has five years left on an eight-year, $69.9 million contract he signed with Detroit on March 1, 2023. General manager Steve Yzerman has indicated he doesn’t feel pressured to grant the request and would be comfortable retaining Larkin if the right trade doesn’t materialize.

They said it

“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. I cannot make any guarantees, or did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met.” — general manager Steve Yzerman on Larkin’s trade request

EDGE stat to watch

Defenseman Moritz Seider ranked fourth in the NHL in total skating distance (299.85 miles) last season and had one of the more robust EDGE profiles in terms of his shooting metrics; he was second in long-range shots on goal (115; behind Darren Raddysh’s 130), tied for fourth in long-range goals (six) and ranked in the 93rd percentile or higher at his position in average shot speed (72.70 mph), hardest shot (98.93 mph) and mid-range shots on goal (38). Another standout in terms of shot metrics is Alex DeBrincat, who ranked third in mid-range shots on goal (118) and in the 95th percentile or higher among forwards in both high-danger goals (20) and mid-range goals (12) last season. — Troy Perlowitz

Continued; Crosby still has Larkin lining up as the Red Wings’ #1 center, and I realize that there is some probability that he remains a Red Wing into October…

But I sure as hell hope that, if a trade is not consummated by the time the regular season begins, Larkin is told to stay home.

The University of Massachusetts posted a press release in which it’s revealed that both Red Wings prospects Larry Keenan and Owen Mehlenbacher have been named “Hockey East 2025-2026 All-Academic Team” members:

Twenty-one Massachusetts hockey student-athletes have been named to the Hockey East 2025-26 Men’s All-Academic Team, the league office announced recently. The Minutemen were among 218 student-athletes across Hockey East that achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or better in each academic period during which they were actively competing.