Detroit Red Wings: Reading between the lines of a Jeff Blashill extension

Reports are swirling that a contract extension is nearing for Detroit Red Wings bench-boss Jeff Blashill.

The Detroit Red Wings locked up Jimmy Howard to a one-year contract extension earlier this week.  The deal is worth 4 million with playoff bonuses that could elevate the agreement to a maximum value of 5.1 million dollars.

The second order of business on Red Wings General Manager Ken Hollands’ menu is extending his head coach Jeff Blashill.  Blashill is on an expiring deal and apparently through the eyes of Ken Holland has done enough developing to warrant a new contract.  The majority of Detroit Red Wings fans will think otherwise.

The overall regular season record can’t totally be placed on the shoulders of Jeff Blashill.  Ken Holland sets the table, and Jeff Blashill is forced to prepare the food.  Although he has the recipe in front of him, he has yet to have all the ingredients made available to him to cook a tasty meal.  At times Blashill is looking at the nameplate of some of these players googling who they are before he can send them out onto the ice.  Yes, that’s a stretch but Christoffer Ehn and Jacob de La Rose mixed with Justin Abdelkader, Luke Glendening, and Darren Helm won’t translate to a playoff berth.

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We’ve been very critical of the Red Wings bench boss in the past and for good reason.  A lot of players seemed to of taken a step back before they skipped forward.  He’s played weathered veteran players much more than he should, yet our top young prospects are found at the end of the bench like they are sitting in crazy glue unable to find a regular shift.

Recently on NBCSN, Bob McKenzie mentioned the Detroit Red Wings were close to “putting pen to paper” on a Jeff Blashill contract extension.  In my mind, this means something more than just a head coach being extended.

Many people have speculated that Steve Yzerman is destined to become the next General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings.  I would want nothing more.  That being said, the contract extension of Jeff Blashill tells me that Steve Yzerman won’t be the GM of this franchise next season.

Why would ownership allow a GM they are either going to fire or relocate within the franchise the ability to extend his existing coach?  Think about that for a second. Usually, a GM wants to employ his own team, they don’t want to inherit spare parts when they can purchase new ones.  If the head coach was in the middle of his deal and the team wasn’t willing to pay someone to go away, that is one thing, but with a coach on an expiring deal, it would allow a GM to start fresh.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve thought about Steve Yzerman and the current state of the Detroit Red Wings extensively. Yzerman seems like one of the classiest sports icons, and I don’t see him willing or feeling comfortable unseating Ken Holland.  Yzerman played under him, was an advisor for him after his playing days. Yzerman was Hollands’ superior when the pair worked for Hockey Canada.

I don’t see Yzerman walking in and taking over for Holland.  I could see Yzerman coming in next season as a senior advisor and working with Holland.  Ken has one more season left on his contract if the Wings decided not to extend him that would be the perfect time for Yzerman to take over as GM.  If this is the case, I will hope for only a one-year deal and a re-evaluation if Jeff Blashill at this time next season.