General manager Steve Yzerman might be on the hot seat entering next season.
On one hand, yes, Yzerman is a Detroit Red Wings legend. He was the captain of the team for two decades, won three Stanley Cups as a player, and was one of the most outstanding players of his generation.
He was also the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning for eight seasons. Yzerman has been the GM of Detroit for six years now and has yet to make the playoffs. And, of course, the Wings have not made the playoffs in nine years.
Yzerman was brought in to end what was a minor playoff dry spell at the time and rebuild this team. Instead, the drought has continued. Tangibly speaking, the Wings have improved over the last five seasons, that's true.
But it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Sure, Detroit fell one point short of making the playoffs last season. However, this year, the team regressed in a lot of areas and it starts with Yzerman's free agency mistakes.
Stars and acquisitions have underperformed
Dylan Larkin has regressed over the last several seasons, but let's be honest, it's hard. This sport is very difficult, and it's even more arduous when you're a good player on a bad team and lack the depth when you're having an off night.
Vladimir Tarasenko, who was widely considered last summer's top free agent acquisition, has underperformed for the Red Wings all season. In retrospect, why Tarasenko was even considered a top free agent acquisition was puzzling at the very least.
He was an elite talent with the St. Louis Blues, where he won a Stanley Cup, and had his most productive campaign in the 2021-22 campaign, where he registered 82 points. Since then, his production has gone down rather drastically.
Tarasenko registered 50 points the next season, followed by 55 points. He won a second Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers and put up nine points in 24 games. None of that really stands out as a "top free agent acquisition." With the season nearly complete, Tarasenko only has 32 points on the season, which is a massive fall-off.
The Wings saw their playoff hopes end last week when the Canadiens handed them a 4-1 loss, but the game-winning goal came off a Tarasenko offensive zone turnover, which is a painful pill to swallow.
It was just a bad game in general, which also featured a lost race by Justin Holl, another 2023 free agent acquiree who has not fit in well with the team. There were blown opportunities all the game, but the poor play by the players who were expected to give this team the boost they needed to end this drought is a massive pain point for this fanbase.
Cap space is limited
And to make matters worse, the Wings have virtually no cap space right now. They have just over $2 million to work with at the moment. To Yzerman's credit, he got rid of the awful Jake Walman deal last June by shipping him to the San Jose Sharks.
In three seasons with the Wings, Walman never posted more than 21 points in a single season, which aren't exactly great numbers. They certainly aren't deserving of a three-year, $10.2 million contract. Talk about massive overpay. Yzerman had to free up space to sign Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider to long-term deals.
Yzerman may have to pull a Walman on this Tarasenko deal. They need the space, and the guy isn't getting any younger. It's very implausible to expect Tarasenko, who turns 34 later this year, to get back to his vintage form.
They'll free up space if they find a team willing to take him in, and then we can focus on the draft, which is Yzerman's bread and butter. We want to see this team make the playoffs, but rushing into signing bad deals repeatedly will only further set back this team.
Bright spots
There's light at the end of the tunnel, believe that. The Red Wings have won four of their last six games and handed the Dallas Stars, who take on the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, their sixth consecutive defeat Tuesday night.
Raymond and Seider each had three third-period points, and the Wings scored a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over a considerably better team. We clearly have a good group of players, and they are willing to fight until the end. Just imagine if we had more of them, especially on the penalty kill.
Yzerman deserves at least another season to right the ship. He's earned that right, but the time is ticking.