Bultman ponders the biggest mistakes of Steve Yzerman’s reign

The Athletic’s Max Bultman attempts to discern why the Steve Yzerman era was not a successful one for the Red Wings’ soon-to-be-former GM, and the first category Bultman addresses is by far the most important one:

Not picking a lane

From Day 1 on the job, Yzerman preached patience. Even more than that: he was steadfast, throughout his entire tenure, in not offering a timeline. Maybe that was part of the problem.

Of course, back in 2019, it was hard to say exactly how long a process Yzerman was in for. It was always going to be a huge turnaround job, and it was fair to give him some time to get the lay of the land. But even by the end of the 2021-22 season, when he fired head coach Jeff Blashill, Yzerman was intentionally vague about where exactly the Red Wings were in their rebuilding process.

“I think we’re at the end of Year 3,” he said at the time. “And the beginning of Year 4.”

It was a good line, especially if you viewed Yzerman’s secrecy as a feature and not a bug. But in hindsight, it’s fair to wonder: was there really a grand plan there to conceal? Or was it simply patience for the sake of patience?

Another Yzerman quote from that same year-end news conference in 2022: “The danger becomes you start to get a little impatient, desperate, I’m not sure what the right word is, and then you do something stupid. … Any time I’ve tried to force something — force a trade, force a signing — I’ve kind of regretted it for different reasons. I think you just have to remain patient. Quite frankly, I think it’ll be easier for me to be patient than it will for yourself.”

There’s certainly truth in that sentiment. But the timing of it is interesting, because that 2022 offseason has become a flashpoint in autopsies of Yzerman’s tenure, with some actually viewing it as an example of the general manager getting impatient and pulling out of the rebuild too soon.

Continued (paywall); as Bultman says here–one of the few people to say it–hindsight is pretty easy right now; finding real answers as to what the “why’s” and “how’s” mean is much more difficult.

Chris Pronger’s got questions about the Red Wings’ rebuild

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that one Chris Pronger has questions about the Red Wings’ rebuild (but no answers):

“What is going on in Detroit?” Pronger asked on X, the social media site once known as Twitter. “Steve Yzerman out. Where do the Red Wings go? And by the way, what’s up with the timing? They’ve already gone through the draft, already gone through free agency.”

Coupled with the trade request from captain Dylan Larkin this offseason, and the apparent departure of future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane as a UFA, things are spiraling in this self-proclaimed Hockeytown.

“We’ve got this whole Dylan Larkin scenario going on,” Pronger said. “What direction is this franchise headed? Is this team headed? Are they wiping away the last seven or eight years of the Yzerplan, as we call it? What exactly is going on in Detroit?”

It’s a fair question, and considering the uncertainty, the number of balls that are currently up in the air, it’s clearly difficult to pinpoint an answer.

Here’s another valid question to ponder. After seven years under Yzerman’s rule, how much further ahead are the Red Wings? Pronger is also pondering what you’re pondering on this matter.

Continued; here’s the Tweet, and if you don’t have some answers, other than to assign blame…Whoopdeedoo. Many Red Wings fans and analysts are asking the same questions. The fact that Chris Pronger is asking them ain’t special.

An argument for the Wings to go the ‘president of hockey operations + analytics-oriented GM’ route

The Detroit Red Wings already have a department of analytics, but MLive’s Ansar Khan echoes a familiar refrain that’s gaining traction in Red Wings Land this morning. Khan suggests that the Red Wings should emulate the Detroit Tigers in emphasizing analytics even more in hiring their next GM–who Khan believes should work under a president of hockey operations, like, for example, one Brendan Shanahan:

Hockey analytics aren’t as advanced as baseball analytics, but hockey seems to be changing with the times. Stats like Corsi, expected goals and zone entries are gaining in prominence.

NHL front offices are hiring analytics specialists, if not as their head of hockey operations, then at least high on the management depth chart.

It’s one of the reasons the Red Wings might go outside the organization for their next GM rather than promote one of Yzerman’s assistants, Kris Draper or Shawn Horcoff.

Successful teams like Stanley Cup champion Carolina, Colorado and Buffalo rely heavily on analytics. The Red Wings might look to one of those teams for their next GM, someone like Hurricanes assistant GM Tyler Dellow or Sabres vice president of hockey strategy and research Sam Ventura.

But you also need a good hockey mind, someone who relies on the eye test as much or more than advanced stats to evaluate talent.

That’s why the Red Wings might be inclined to combine the best of both worlds – an old-school president of hockey operations and an analytics-driven general manager.

Continued…

When you reject the “eye test,” you’re negating half of the data streams available to you. In any decision-making role, a good organization melds the good old-fashioned eye test with analytic tests to determine the best options.

This, “Gosh, if the Wings were more analytical, they’d be even better!” line is just creative thinking at this point.

Midnight mishmash: Yzer-bashing the Yzerplan, looking ahead to the next deal, the next GM, and the 26-27 schedule, and some prospect news

Of brief Red Wings-related note after midnight on a Friday morning:

  1. The Vancouver Province’s Patrick Johnston chose to spend some time second-guessing the Red Wings’ asset management…

It was supposed to be a new dawn for the Wings. They brought back a great face from the great old days, someone who had built up an excellent reputation as a manager in Tampa Bay. But it wasn’t. The Red Wings kept treading water at best. From time to time there were glimmers of hope, but never any consistency, and it falls on Yzerman and his failed “Yzer-plan,” as fans liked to call it.

Yzerman did start on the back foot, as three of the four first-round picks made by Holland and his staff in the years before Yzerman taking over proved to be duds at best, and absolute busts at worst: Evgeny Svechnikov, Dennis Cholowski, and crucially Filip Zadina. (The Red Wings eschewed Quinn Hughes, leaving him to the Canucks to draft one pick later.)

Continue reading Midnight mishmash: Yzer-bashing the Yzerplan, looking ahead to the next deal, the next GM, and the 26-27 schedule, and some prospect news

Don’t just add this one to the ‘Why the Yzerplan Failed’ article pile…It’s worth reading.

It’s getting a little tiring to read “Why the Yzerplan Failed” articles after the last couple of days’ worth of…Well, “Why the Yzerplan Failed” articles, but Daily Faceoff’s Mike Gould wrote a thoughtful, well-thought-out and easily readable discussion thereof, and it’s worth your time:

Red Wings fans have waited a long time — first with remarkable patience and restraint, but now with understandable restlessness — for the early promise of Yzerman’s tenure to be fulfilled in any meaningful way. But after years of bad bets in unrestricted free agency, ill-conceived trade acquisitions and puzzling drafting, it became clear that the situation in Detroit just wasn’t getting any better — no matter how many fans continued to hold out hope that Yzerman would eventually come out on top.

After all, Yzerman cultivated a reputation during his time as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning as an executive with an unerring long-term vision for his team. With the Bolts, he made plenty of decisions that looked questionable at the time, like when he held onto Jonathan Drouin for more than a year after he requested a trade — only to end up flipping him for Mikhail Sergachev, who played an integral role in Tampa Bay’s 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup championships.

Yzerman began his Red Wings managerial tenure in similar fashion, shocking most analysts by taking Moritz Seider with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. That decision proved to be an excellent one, as Seider promptly developed into Detroit’s top defenseman — only reinforcing the notion that when Yzerman went against the grain, he always had a good reason.

Continue reading Don’t just add this one to the ‘Why the Yzerplan Failed’ article pile…It’s worth reading.

Some highlights from the Red Wings’ 2026-2027 schedule

The Detroit Red Wings released their 2026-2027 regular season schedule today at 1 PM EDT, and now the Wings’ beat writers are weighing in regarding the highlights thereof.

Here’s MLive’s Ansar Khan’s assessment…

Here are some key dates:

Oct. 2 vs. N.Y. Rangers (6:30 p.m.): It’s the season-opener; will Dylan Larkin still be a Red Wing and in the lineup after requesting a trade in the offseason?

Dec. 22 vs. Toronto (7:30 p.m.): The first of two home games vs. Toronto could be the first chance for Detroit fans to see 2026 No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna.

Dec. 31 vs. Carolina (2 p.m.): The traditional New Year’s Eve game will be a matinee contest for a change and the first of two LCA appearances by the reigning Stanley Cup champions who also visit on April 2.

Jan. 2 vs. Edmonton (1 p.m.): It’s the lone LCA appearance by three-time league MVP Connor McDavid and first-year Oilers coach Mike Babcock, the former Wings head coach who’s back behind an NHL bench for the first time since 2019.

Jan. 7 vs. Utah (7 p.m.): Could former Red Wings’ top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa be in net for the Mammoth?

Continue reading Some highlights from the Red Wings’ 2026-2027 schedule

Here’s the Red Wings’ 2026-2027 regular season schedule

Updated at 1:06 PM: The NHL released its 2026-2027 regular season schedule today. Here is the Red Wings’ portion thereof:

Update: The Red Wings posted a clip of Ken Daniels announcing the schedule…

And here is the Red Wings’ press release:

RED WINGS RELEASE 2026-27 REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE

Opening Night will feature Original Six Matchup with New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, October 2

Red Wings will host Centennial Celebration Game on Wednesday, November 18, marking 100th anniversary of Detroit’s first NHL game vs. Boston Bruins

NHL expands regular season to 84 games for 2026-27 campaign

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their schedule for the 2026-27 regular season and the team’s 101st overall in the National Hockey League. The Red Wings will open the season on home ice at Little Caesars Arena with an Original Six matchup against the New York Rangers on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Continue reading Here’s the Red Wings’ 2026-2027 regular season schedule

Video (update): Elliotte Friedman discusses Steve Yzerman’s situation on the NHL Network, possible successors

I posted a link to Elliotte Friedman speaking on the NHL Network last night regarding Steve Yzerman’s departure from the Detroit Red Wings, and here’s the full clip in YouTube format:

Signing Simon Edvinsson is the one offseason move over which the Wings have full control

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan discusses the “to-do list” of the Red Wings’ next general manager this afternoon, and as I’m not certain whether the Wings will have much of a say in Dylan Larkin or Patrick Kane’s respective playing destinations, I’d suggest that Kulfan’s third item is likely the most important task over which the Wings have full control:

What will Simon Edvinsson’s new contract look like?

The restricted free-agent defenseman is due a new contract, and judging by some of the deals around the NHL, it’s likely to be a doozy. Likely more than Yzerman had wanted it to be.

Moritz Seider is the Wings’ highest-paid defenseman, at an $8.5 million annual average value, and Edvinsson likely could eclipse that. A thing to watch, also, is the possibility of another team offering Edvinsson an offer sheet, with a particularly high salary, and the Wings being forced to match.

Yzerman continues to run the day-to-day operations, for now, but with the Wings’ front office in a state of flux, it wouldn’t be shocking to see another team possibly try to take advantage.

Continued at length (paywall); at this point, trying to keep the line on Edvinsson at around $8.5 million per season will be hard enough to keep the next GM occupied until the start of this upcoming campaign.

If the ‘Yzerplan’ had one fatal flaw, it was in mismanaging the Wings’ blueline

The Score’s Josh Wegman examines 3 reasons why Steve Yzerman’s master plan for renovating the Detroit Red Wings did not work out, and if I had to circle one and only one reason why things didn’t work out, I’d agree with Wegman’s assessment that the Wings management team mismanaged its blueline:

Detroit’s biggest weakness over the last several years has been the blue line. Seider and Edvinsson formed an excellent top pairing this past season, but the rest of the defense struggled to pull its weight, which was a major culprit in Detroit crumbling down the stretch and missing the playoffs for the 10th straight season.

In an alternate universe, defense could’ve been one of the team’s strengths.

Filip Hronek and Jake Walman are two players Yzerman should regret trading. Hronek has developed into a legitimate top-pairing defenseman. He was an ascending 25-year-old when the Red Wings shipped him to the Vancouver Canucks in 2023, even though he was young enough to fit in Detroit’s contention window. The return of first- and second-round picks wasn’t terrible, but Detroit would surely rather have Hronek anchoring the second pair behind Seider right now.

The Red Wings were unable to retain the services of Shayne Gostisbehere, too, and that really set them back…

The Walman trade was arguably Yzerman’s most puzzling move. Although Walman came into his own with the Red Wings and had good chemistry with Seider on the top pair, the Red Wings traded him – along with a second-round pick – to San Jose for future considerations during the 2024 offseason. Less than a year later, the Sharks flipped Walman to the Edmonton Oilers for a first-rounder. Last year, the Oilers deemed Walman worthy of a seven-year, $49-million extension.

If Yzerman had kept Walman and Hronek, the Red Wings wouldn’t have had to trot out Ben Chiarot in a top-four role he clearly can’t handle for the last several seasons. (To make matters worse, Yzerman gave the 35-year-old a three-year extension with a $3.85-million AAV this past season.) And the Red Wings also wouldn’t have had to give up a package including a first-round pick for 34-year-old Justin Faulk at the 2026 deadline.

Continued; Chiarot’s gotten better over time, but the Faulk trade was an over-payment…And we’ll just have to see whether he’s able to play well over the course of the next two seasons to justify his cost.