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THW’s Wolak discusses ‘modernizing the front office’

I have a theory that one of the reasons Steve Yzerman “exited stage left” as the Red Wings’ GM is that he kept his circle of advisors too small, backed himself into a corner, and didn’t ask or know how to ask for help backing out of said corner.

To me, the small circle of advisors probably became an echo chamber, and once you’ve committed yourself to a certain kind of rebuild, and you’ve made a some signing mistakes and have been bit in the ass by free agent departures (Shayne Gostisbehere is the one that stands out the most to me, given how integral he was to the Carolina Hurricanes’ Cup run)…

Yzerman just didn’t seem to know how to adapt to the realities of business in the “new NHL.” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested as much on both the NHL Network yesterday (link to a 12-minute video) and on Sportsnet itself (6 minute video).

This morning, the Hockey Writers’ Tony Wolak argues that the franchise needs to utilize the regime change to modernize their front office’s business and analytic practices:

One of the clearest opportunities for improvement is expanding how hockey decisions are made.

Across the NHL, front offices have become increasingly specialized. Successful organizations rely on executives with expertise in professional scouting, amateur scouting, analytics, salary cap management, player development, sports science, and contract strategy to contribute to decision-making. Detroit has largely operated differently.

According to a source, Yzerman tended to close ranks rather than relying on a broad group of advisors when evaluating trades, free agents, and organizational strategy. This is why internal candidates should be considered – they likely operate differently than the closed-off Yzerman. Regardless, the next general manager should continue expanding Detroit’s hockey operations staff and foster an environment where ideas flow freely across departments. 

Continue reading THW’s Wolak discusses ‘modernizing the front office’

To quote ‘The Waterboy’: ‘Oh no, we suck again!’

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn discusses every NHL team’s offseason additions (or the lack thereof) this morning, wondering aloud how much teams have actually improved over the last two and-a-half weeks. Not shockingly, Luszczyzyn, a long-time critic of Detroit, doesn’t like what the Red Wings accomplished under Steve Yzerman:

16. Detroit Red Wings

Net Rating added: -2
In: Viktor Arvidsson, Keegan Kolesar, Daniil Tarasov
Out: Patrick Kane, David Perron, Cam Talbot

Swapping out Patrick Kane for Viktor Arvidsson is a fairly neutral move, though Arvidsson’s potential lack of availability could put that in jeopardy. And while Daniil Tarasov could be a slight upgrade over Cam Talbot at this stage of their careers, adding a fourth liner such as Keegan Kolesar doesn’t do a whole lot to replace David Perron.

As it stands, it’s not enough to make the Red Wings anywhere close to a playoff team in the East — and that’s before a Dylan Larkin trade potentially guts the team’s chances completely. 

Continued (paywall); I’m not going to deny that the Red Wings are in tough this upcoming season, and that the Larkin trade will be pivotal (if it’s still on?), but it’s the usual situation for Detroit–they’ll have to prove people wrong once again, one way or another.

That, and Perron didn’t exactly play inspiring hockey after being rushed back from abdominal surgery last season…

I’d certainly like to see the Wings add an Eeli Tolvanen or another semi-sniper from the pool of remaining free agents, but I like the signing of Arvidsson, Kolesar is more about a culture change than anything else, and Tarasov serves as a bridge to the Postava-Augustine regime.

Losing Kane hurts to be certain, but, ultimately, the Wings’ improvement or the lack thereof will be determined by the rectification of the Dylan Larkin situation, not whatever Luszczyszyn suggests is gospel on July 16th.

Mitch Albom weighs in on the ‘Yzer-split’

The Free Press’s Mitch Albom discusses the Red Wings’ decision to relieve Steve Yzerman of his duties as the Red Wings’ general manager:

Steve Yzerman is as fine a man as I’ve known in sports, and is as stubborn in his principles as he was in digging a puck out of the corners in his playing days.

So if I had to guess, this stunning development was less about the Wings telling him to go than about Yzerman seeing no happy way out.

Think about the timing. If the Wings were so dissatisfied with Yzerman’s job performance, why not let him go in April, after Detroit missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year, the seventh under Stevie Y? Why leave him on for the draft and free agency – only to dismiss him in the most down time of the hockey season, and just two months from the start of training camp?

Continue reading Mitch Albom weighs in on the ‘Yzer-split’

Morning news round-up: On the franchise’s direction, ‘whose side’ the Red Wings took, potential GM candidates, and DeBrincat and Edvinsson

Of diverse Red Wings-related note this morning:

MLive: Ansar Khan wonders whether the Red Wings will attempt to rebuild or move forward now that Steve Yzerman will no longer be the general manager:

That will depend largely on whether Larkin still wants out. If he rescinds his trade request, then the Red Wings will be all-in on trying to reach the playoffs next season. Yzerman’s moves in free agency indicated he was in win-now mode. He signed left wing Viktor Arvidsson to boost the team’s five-on-five offense and traded for Keegan Kolesar to add some much-needed toughness. He also tried hard to re-sign 37-year-old Patrick Kane, who’s apparently destined for Buffalo or back to Chicago.

If Larkin still wants out, the new GM can continue to follow Yzerman’s lead and try to get back players who can help immediately, particularly a top-line center. But that won’t be easy unless Larkin, who has a full no-trade clause, expands his list of approved destinations beyond Florida, Minnesota, Vegas and Dallas, or if a third team gets involved.

Continue reading Morning news round-up: On the franchise’s direction, ‘whose side’ the Red Wings took, potential GM candidates, and DeBrincat and Edvinsson

Video link: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman discusses the Steve Yzerman situation on the ‘NHL Tonight’

I’m sure that the NHL Network will upload this to YouTube at some point tonight or tomorrow, but, for now, NHL.com posted an 11:26 clip of the NHL Tonight crew speaking with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman regarding Steve Yzerman’s “promotion” to an advisor to Chris Ilitch today.

Update: Here’s a Twitter teaser:

Stubbornness stifled ‘Stevie Y’

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…

Today, the Red Wings begin the next chapter in their evolution

I’ve had to bite my tongue today as the sports talk radio jocks and Twitter/X trolls alike express giddiness about the supposedly sorry state of the Red Wings after the team relieved Steve Yzerman of his general manager’s duties.

I guess that I shouldn’t be surprised at how many Red Wings fans and Detroit media types seem to enjoy wallowing in the mud that is believed to be the state of the team–the outsiders, I get, but this whole concept that the team is somehow at rock bottom simply because the GM’s been moved into an advisory role, and that this state should be celebrated.

I just don’t get that.

There are the building blocks of a rebuild still present in Detroit’s coaching staff, prospects, and players like Moritz (the next captain) Seider and Lucas Raymond. The Wings can still manage to achieve an acceptable return for Dylan Larkin, with whom I believe the team’s relationship is irreparably harmed.

And the next GM–whoever that may be–should be empowered to make more aggressive moves in order to acquire talent and accentuate/reinforce the Red Wings’ younger, more aggressive core with more aggressive moves.

Ultimately, what I said would happen happened–Steve Yzerman served as the Red Wings’ general manager at the pleasure of Christopher and Marian Ilitch, and he was not relieved of his duties until the Red Wings’ ownership began to doubt Yzerman’s ability to build upon the foundational blocks that already exist in the Wings’ rebuilding process.

He served at the pleasure of the ownership, and the ownership was not pleased enough with the job he was doing, so his role as the team’s GM has reached its conclusion.

Yes, the team has a long way to go, and yes, it’s entirely possible that, once Dylan Larkin is traded, they’ll take a step back this upcoming season. But I really do believe that the team has the coaching and leadership necessary to change its culture–to become more determined to deliver consistent play, and to play with more speed and grit on a regular basis–and I believe that there are brighter days ahead.

We may have to wait a bit for them, but the team is charging its fans too much money for tickets, merchandise, and now their in-house broadcasting network to simply blow it all up and restart from scratch.

That’s my bottom line, and it’s incredibly important to get the Larkin trade as close to “right” (even if that means “losing with dignity”) for starters…

But we are all along for the ride at this point, and it is my hope that the Red Wings’ ownership and front office, advisor Steve Yzerman included, help the Wings find the right GM for this time in their evolution.

That’s all we can really hope for right now–a brighter beginning to a new chapter in the team’s history, so this historical franchise can start making some lasting memories for its players and fans in the present and in the future.

FYI: Marco Kasper’s training in Klagenfurt, Austria, and sessions are open to the public

According to both 5’Min.at and Orf.at, Red Wings forward Marco Kasper will be training at his hometown rink, Klagenfurt, Austria’s Heidi Horten Arena, starting today, as Yannick Dube’s skills camp continues at the home of KAC Klagenfurt.

J.J. Peterka, Philipp Sinn, Danjo Leonhardt and Maksymilian Szuber are some of the players who are attending the skills camp. According to both websites, the sessions are open to the public.