Red Wings Preview: Steve Yzerman Knows What He’s Doing

The Detroit Red Wings made a move yesterday that split many in the fanbase. Waiving Evgeny Svechnikov for a second time opened up debate as to what the long term plan was not only for him, but for the team as well.

Regardless of where anyone stands, it’s fair to surmise that not every move made by Steve Yzerman is going to always be agreed upon by the fanbase. Even in Tampa Bay, not every decision was a home run. He’s human. Even Yzerman has talked about how he hopes five years from now that he’s still seen as someone who solved the Red Wings issues.

So with the waiving of Svechnikov, though frustrating as Frans Nielsen and Valtteri Filppula remain in a spot to play, it’s merely business. Yzerman is doing what he feels is best for the team.

Lest we not forget the reaction when Moritz Seider was drafted. Two years later, he’s #1 according to TSN’s prospect rankings. In that same report, the Wings have two of the top three prospects in hockey. It’s definitely a good look for the Yzerplan.

Red Wings Are Just Looking for Patience

I wrote about this the other day: this stage of the rebuild is all about patience. A look at the drafting history as well as some of the personnel moves he’s made should bolster confidence within the fan base.

Everything beyond that is cosmetic. No one can honestly believe that this team is going to be anything more than a bottom five team. It’s not to besmirch the effort of the players or to malign them. If anything, it’s to be realistic. Yzerman had to ice a team. This team is better than its predecessor from a year ago. And as the prospects arrive, they will only get better.

It’s unrealistic to believe that Yzerman will hit on everything as the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. But find me one Wings fan who felt that Ken Holland was the guy to lead the organization through a rebuild. Heck, look at Edmonton. I’ll be stunned if they make it out of the first round. Holland is doing what he did in Detroit: riding his top players and adding his comfortable veteran presence to get through the regular season to make the playoffs. We all know how that movie ends. But that’s Edmonton’s problem now.

Yzeman is building to something and fans getting bent out of shape over Svech being on waivers need to realize it’s just not worth the effort.

Let him play in Grand Rapids. Let the veterans run out their contracts. And when spots open up and Svech is still around, maybe then he’ll stick. If not, well this is where I put my faith in Yzerman. He’s been outstanding in both Tampa and Detroit. Why believe otherwise?

Would I rather see Svech playing than Darren Helm, Nielsen, or Filppula? Absolutely. But in the long term, I believe in the Yzerplan. And I believe years from now, we’ll see the wisdom in his actions.

Red Wings face Tampa Bay

This won’t be much prettier than the series against Florida. Tampa is in the same position–fighting for the top spot in a dogfight of a division battle with Carolina and the Panthers. As long as the Wings can keep it close, it’s a massive morale victory.