Steve Yzerman Out as Red Wings General Manger
The Detroit Red Wings announced that Steve Yzerman is moving out of his role as general manager to become a senior advisor to team governor and CEO Chris Illich.
According to the press release, Illich is leading the search for a new general manager.
Yzerman had been the Red Wings’ GM since 2019. During that tenure, the club failed to make the playoffs, a drought that has now lasted a decade.
Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman (NHL.com).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This might look like a promotion for Yzerman, but it isn’t. The only reason he’s staying with the organization is his legendary status as one of the greatest players in franchise history.
As a player, Yzerman became a Red Wings legend, the captain who led them to three Stanley Cup championships. However, he was unable to replicate that success as their general manager.
When Yzerman took over as the Wings’ GM, he was coming off a successful tenure building up the Tampa Bay Lightning into a Stanley Cup contender. He had drafted cornerstone players such as Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy, as well as centers Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, all of whom remain with the Lightning today. He was named General Manager of the Year in 2015.
It was expected that Yzerman would have the same front-office success when he returned to the Red Wings in 2019.
For a while, it appeared the Red Wings were heading in the right direction. He drafted defensemen Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson and winger Lucas Raymond, traded for Alex DeBrincat, and signed free agent Patrick Kane. In recent years, their prospect pipeline has been considered among the league’s best.
The Red Wings’ record gradually improved. In each of the last three seasons, they were holding playoff berths entering March, only to collapse down the stretch. A lack of reliable goaltending, blueline depth, and scoring punch remained issues that Yzerman struggled to address.
However, Wings fans were growing impatient over the club’s inability to get over the playoff hump. They booed the club off the ice during their final home game last season.
Team captain Dylan Larkin publicly criticized Yzerman’s inability to acquire help during the March 2025 trade deadline. Last month, it was reported that he requested a trade, which has been fodder for the rumor mill ever since.
The ongoing Larkin situation may have been the last straw for Illich. Whatever prompted this move, the fact remains that Yzerman’s tenure as general manager will be considered a failure.
He leaves the role with a team captain wanting a trade, a roster riddled with questions, and a fan base that has lost faith in the club’s direction.
The only surprise here is that it took so long
100% agee. Time for shanaplan part 2
Maybe Tampa really pushed him out as well. It was weird the way he stepped away there….being there was no controversy raised in Tampa when he “stepped away”, he was able to slide right into Detroit and push Kenny to the side.
Yzerman was not pushed out of Tampa Bay. He left because his family remained in the Detroit area while he was working in Tampa Bay during the regular season and part of the offseason. He stepped down because he wanted to be with his family. When the opportunity came to be hired by the Red Wings, he took it.
Well maybe his family would have moved down there if he would have won a cup in the 9 years he was there! 😉
Should be an interesting decision by Wings as to who they pick as GM.Is it an internal candidate or someone from outside the organization? If it’s an internal candidate the fans and players may not be too happy ,Larkin included. Plenty of external candidates amongst advisors, assistant gm’s, and other present and past front office personnel. The Larkin situation and how it’s handled will be a defining moment for whoever gets the job.
Pasta also pushed for the Bruins to add during last seasons trade deadline and they didn’t … this offseason Bruins traded 25 goals for 25 goals but did get younger .. added two defensive Dmen but no offensive Dmen which was a need ..watch out Sweeney FO moves are being made around you
Bruins are better team today then last year. Problem is so is many other eastern teams
MB4 so in the big picture where do you see them finishing next year? If Swayman isn t lights out,look out!
Petreka may light it up playing on the same line with Pasta
Sr, agree that Swayman is a big key to success just like last year.
I think they fight for a WC spot, just like last year.
Atlantic is a beast, so say FLA, MTL, BUF make the top 3.
I’ll go with CAR, Wash and Philly in the Metro, although maybe PIT hangs in there again.
So the rest fight for 2 WC spots: BOS, OTT, TOR, PIT. With CLB and even Det as longer shots, depending what happens with Larkin. Neither were that far off.
Injuries to key guys is huge as always, especially for the bubble type teams.
Sr
Hard to say on paper it looks like Habs should be same Sabres a little weaker Ottawa a little weaker wings weaker leafs who knows Bruins a little better If JJ. Since with Pasta. Will score more than 30 IMHO
I also think bruins have a move or 2 on the todo list. Too many nhl ready players signed
Ray Bark ,Don t overlook Tampa Bay.They are old but they are talented and they have the best goalie in the division!
Stevie Y another example of a Hall of Fame player who doesn t transition successfully to the hockey management side!
How can you say that SR? He had 3 GM gigs…TB, he left but the team eventually won a cup on his foundation he built.
Team Canada where as GM he won a world championship and 2 gold as a director. And before you pass this off as a nothing gig…many dont come back with gold.
Then the red Wings where sure you can chalk it up as a failure but the team is still better today in a number of metrics than when he came on board.
I understand sport is a ‘what have you done lately’ but saying he didnt transition successully is a rather ignorant comment and certainly doesn’t consider his full management career.
He won with Team Canada because of the overwhelming talent that Canada processed at the time. He did it w/o All-Star, HOFer and perennial scoring leader Martin St Louis! Another captain that he crossed.
Johnny Z – that line on team canada is a cop out imo. By that logic Canada should simply win every tournament and if they dont…all blame lays on the ice and not coaching, gm or any facet of management.
People have to stop thinking putting together a team for Canada is as easy as taking the 15 concesus picks sprinkle a few others in a put your feet up and walk it a day.
There is much more that goes into it beyond simply the roster building component.
@ 1Oilerfan:
Ummmm, the rest of the world has since caught up to Canada in talent, coaching, and desire. So, it takes more effort for them to win. Y was in charge when he could afford to dole out a serious snub to one of Canada’s finest skaters!
I don’t it was a snub of St Louis, he/they simply wanted other players. Coaches have a say in it too.
Tough lineup to crack.
You could say the exact same thing about our last Olympic team and players. I would have brought Hyman.
So, Stevie Y gets zero credit for work in Tampa? Plenty examples of GM’s being recycled and having success and failure.
TB. Definitely got better imo
If Stevie Y was a coach and not a GM would he lasted for 10 years without making the playoffs?
Excuse me, 7 years I stand corrected!
The way I see it, Yzerman stepping away means that Larkin will stick around a while. He was apparently having an issue with Yzerman but that’s not a problem anymore. I think he’ll want to give the new GM a chance and the new GM will want a fresh start with him. Especially since the few teams Larkin will agree to go to don’t seem able to work out a deal with the Wings.
Please the Wings need a #2 center. I think Larkin would be OK with acquiring EP40.i believe with strong wingers he could bounce back.
I don’t see any other centers available.
Then turn the kids loose. Insist they be assertive instead of a semi-quazi checking role.
Aside from a vocal minority that gets their talking points from crappy sports talk shows, Wings fans don’t want Larkin back. The team was booed off the ice because they couldn’t be bothered to show up to play in the final 6 weeks of the season (more like 11 weeks). See the home game against the Flyers when they decided to wait until the second half of the third (in a 4-0 hole) to actually play.
I don’t speak for all Wings fans, but definitely the majority, when I say that Larkin is not wanted back.
You can’t fire Yzerman. It would be like the Bruins firing Orr.
I do believe his downfall was adding too many older role player’s via FA and trades. Compher Appleton Charot Kane Talbot to name but a few. the good drafting on the backend . Aside from Raymond the Front end ..meh
Orr was smart enough to stay out of hockey management jobs and he started a player agent business!