When Steve Yzerman was hired as the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings in April 2019, he was supposed to usher in a new era. The franchise was fresh off 25 consecutive playoff appearances, starting in 1991 and ending in 2016.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion was seen as the perfect candidate to bring Hockeytown back to the top of the hockey mountain, with fans subsequently coining the term “Yzerplan.”
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Seven years later, the Red Wings hold the longest playoff drought in hockey, and captain Dylan Larkin wants out.
But how has one of the most respected teams in hockey fallen into irrelevance?
The rebuilding era (2019-23)
Yzerman kicked off the rebuild by selecting Moritz Seider — a controversial pick at the time, but Seider has blossomed into a legitimate No. 1 defenseman. In his first full season with the franchise, the team managed a measly 17 wins, good for dead last in the league.
The team fell to fourth in the lottery and selected Lucas Raymond, another great pick for Yzerman and company, but that’s about where the drafting prowess ended.
Detroit would go on to draft Simon Edvinsson (6th), Sebastian Cossa (15th) Marco Kasper (8th) Nate Danielson (9th) and Axel Sandin-Pellikka (17th) at the top of the following three drafts. The Kasper and Danielson picks were particularly problematic and embody the flawed drafting philosophy that Yzerman has brought to Detroit.
Both centers were considered low-risk picks at the time, with their defensive games outweighing their offensive potential. Danielson, in particular, was seen as a good third-line center at best, which is simply not what a rebuilding team should be prioritizing at ninth overall.
Four picks after Danielson was Zach Benson, who just had an impressive playoff debut, and is looking like a future top-six winger. Benson fell due to his 5-foot-10 frame, but his ceiling was higher than Danielson’s due to the offensive flair.
Every contending team, outside of perhaps the Vegas Golden Knights, has been built primarily through drafting. These misses by Yzerman are the kind that can set a team back in a rebuild, and we’ve seen that on display these past few seasons.
The mushy middle (2023-26)
The Red Wings find themselves in a state worse than bottoming out; not good enough for the playoffs and not bad enough for a high-end pick. A year or so of this sort of finish is fine, especially as a team is crawling its way out of the basement and into the playoffs, but perpetually middling results make future success less likely.
In the Summer of 2023, Yzerman made his biggest trade as general manager, acquiring Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators for Dominik Kubalik and a first-round pick. DeBrincat has returned to form as a 40-goal scorer over the past two seasons, and the trade has proven worthwhile for Detroit.
Following the DeBrincat trade, Yzerman made it clear the Red Wings were aiming for the playoffs, making two big additions via free agency. He signed J.T. Compher to a five-year, $5.1 million extension, and future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane to a discounted $2.7 million deal.
Compher’s tenure in Detroit has been uninspiring, with his production declining every season, dropping all the way to 28 points this season. The move came off as an attempt to please the fans rather than make a genuine addition to the team.
The Jake Walman fiasco
The following offseason, Yzerman brought in veteran defenseman Erik Gustafsson at $2 million to bolster the back end, which had been an issue for years. Before the signing, Yzerman sent a second-round pick and Jake Walman to San Jose to shed his $3.4 million cap hit.
Walman went on to play the best hockey of his career before San Jose shipped him to the Edmonton Oilers for a first-round pick. The original trade is now looked at as some of the worst asset management in recent memory, and encapsulates his inability to build a competent blue line..
This year, Detroit traded a first-round pick for Justin Faulk, a trade they likely wouldn’t have made if Walman were still on the roster.
The Larkin trade saga
Elliotte Friedman reported this week that Dylan Larkin requested a trade out of Detroit, and unsurprisingly, the playoff drought was the main factor. But where does this leave Detroit in the coming seasons?
The trade return will greatly vary depending on the length of Larkin’s trade list. If the 29-year-old is willing to expand his list, a bidding war could ensue. If not, Detroit would have little leverage in trade talks.
Should Yzerman target picks and prospects in a trade, Detroit is left with a center core of Andrew Copp, Compher and Kasper. This center group would rank towards the bottom of the league and would certainly erase any hope of ending the playoff drought.
More importantly, what would this mean for Seider and Raymond’s commitment to the team’s future? Would the duo be willing to stick through another five-plus-year rebuild? These are all questions Yzerman should actively be assessing.
Legacy, loyalty and the lack of accountability
Seven years into his tenure, Yzerman has failed to meet expectations. If his name wasn’t up in the rafters, would he still have a job? It’s a fair question to ask, considering the short leash modern hockey has given managers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, another major hockey market, have had three general managers since Yzerman started in 2019. The major difference is that the Maple Leafs have made the postseason every season but one in that span.
This summer will be pivotal for Detroit’s future, and Yzerman’s handling of the Larkin trade will likely determine his future with the organization.
