The Detroit Red Wings are navigating another offseason without playoff hockey in town for the 10th consecutive season and with major changes underway at the top of the organization.
Detroit finished 41-31-10 with 92 points, and shortly after the regular season ended, captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade, adding another problem for the franchise.
Although not all postseason whiffs can be blamed on Steve Yzerman, the legendary Red Wings player had led hockey operations since returning to Detroit in April 2019.
On Wednesday, the Red Wings put an end to the "Yzerplan" by announcing that Yzerman is stepping down as executive vice president and general manager and moving into a senior advisory role.
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Red Wings governor and CEO Chris Ilitch said the franchise is “not where we and our fans expect to be,” and Yzerman will remain in his current role until a successor is named.
However, the search for his replacement has already yielded one notable candidate. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman appeared on "NHL Tonight" on Wednesday, and he identified former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan as a possible candidate.
“You’re going to hear a lot of names like Brendan Shanahan,” Friedman said. “That is one of the first people I thought of who left Toronto in a better place than he found it. But I think there are going to be a lot.”
Besides floating Shanahan's name, Friedman reported that Detroit will consider both internal and external options.
“They will give their internal candidates the opportunity, but they are also going to go outside,” Friedman said. “They will listen, they will hear what people have to say, and they will zero in on ultimately who the right person or people are and build the structure around that.”
Per ESPN, the Red Wings' process is expected to include multiple internal candidates, including Nicklas Lidstrom (current vice president of hockey operations), Shawn Horcoff (assistant general manager) and Kris Draper (assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting).
“The one thing that I’ve heard is that the Red Wings are going into this with an open mind,” Friedman said. “They will cast a wide net.
“I think this will be a coveted job. I think there will be a ton of interest.”
In the seven seasons under Yzerman, the Red Wings posted a combined 224-251-62 record.
