When the next general manager takes over the Detroit Red Wings, they'll have their work cut out for them.
Between Dylan Larkin's trade request, Alex DeBrincat's fate and Simon Edvinsson's contract extension, there will be no shortage of trials and tribulations the new leader will have to undertake.
These are four of the biggest pitfalls the next GM needs to avoid at all costs:
Holding back on the prospects
One of the biggest issues the Red Wings have had over the last few years is "over-ripening" their prospects. Whether it's Gustav Nyquist or Sebastian Cossa, the Red Wings have a precedent of keeping their young players in the AHL for a season or two too long to ensure they're fully ready for the NHL.
The NHL has changed quite a bit over the last few years. While the Red Wings have certainly done their best to adapt, they haven't quite crossed that threshold yet. We saw encouraging progress when three rookies - Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Emmitt Finnie - made the roster, but there needs to be a stronger push for a youth movement (and an easier avenue for prospects along the way).
Signing aging veterans to long-term deals
Steve Yzerman overplayed his hand too early in the team's rebuild, getting aggressive in multiple free agency classes. He locked down players like J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp and Ben Chiarot to long-term deals (even extending Chiarot an additional three years), effectively pushing the team ahead just a little too quickly in their rebuild.
This, in turn, had a ripple effect. Compher, Copp and Chiarot weren't the difference-makers Yzerman had hoped for, but they weren't completely useless, either. These free agents catapulted the team to a mushy middle, where they're too bad to contend but too good to accumulate quality draft capital. The next general manager needs to understand that free agency has changed. Rarely, if ever, can you find a key difference-maker in free agency in today's NHL.
It should be treated as a way to upgrade around the margins rather than seek out fixtures for the future.
Playing the market too passively
On the other hand, the team should avoid playing it safe. One of the biggest reasons Larkin and Yzerman's rift began (apart from contract negotiations) was the lack of serious moves during the trade deadline in the 2024-25 season. The next general manager needs to know when to play their hand just as much as they need to know when to play it safe.
This, of course, comes with inherent risks. You don't want to gamble on a bounce-back candidate only to see them collapse when it matters most. But, on the other hand, there comes a time where sticking with the same core or playing it safe just doesn't work (see: the current state of the Red Wings). It's up to the next GM to tread lightly on that knife's edge.
Failing to understand the timeline
Another one of Yzerman's shortcomings as general manager was his inability to focus on the right timeline. He was torn between the Dylan Larkin timeline of trying to contend right away and the Mortiz Seider/Lucas Raymond timeline of accumulating assets and developing a core. Ultimately, he wound up doing a half-baked attempt at both, thus putting the Red Wings in the situation they're in today.
The next general manager needs to pick a timeline and commit to it, regardless of the pain that may come along the way. As of right now, it appears the best bet is a strategic retreat, where the team focuses on acquiring younger, faste rassets while shipping off players that don't fit the timeline. It will likely incur more pain and disappointment from fans in the short term, but, if done correctly, that pain won't have to last too long.
That said, the next general manager cannot fall victim to public pressure. They need to stick with their vision no matter what.
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