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.