Following the Detroit Red Wings announcing their interim general manager, The Detroit News released a 45-minute interview with Red Wings CEO and owner Chris Ilitch. The interview (paywall) is chock full of corporate jargon and PR speak, but, if you dig a little deeper, you can see where Ilitch is at with the organization and his thought process with the Red Wings.
Few of his answers offer actual clarity. But, with that said, these are some of the main takeaways from the interview that stood out from the rest:
Dylan Larkin could be with the Red Wings all year
Sometimes, it isn't the non-answers that stick with you, but the direct ones. When asked about who decided to strip Dylan Larkin of his captaincy and the status with his trade request, Ilitch was direct.
"He could be here all year," Ilitch said. "As it relates to the captaincy, we've communicated as a front office directly with Dylan on that topic, and I'm going to leave it at that. As far as future captaincy, I think that’s going to rest with our new president of hockey operations. Let’s see how it plays out."
Obviously, this isn't a guarantee that Larkin is with the Red Wings through the season, but fans, understandably, are upset. "I can't control that," said Ilitch. "All I can do is say Dylan Larkin is under contract. He's a Red Wing. He's coming back to our camp to play for our team this year."
It sounds like Red Wings fans might have to get used to seeing their former captain on the ice.
"The Detroit Red Wings are a 101-year-old organization," Ilitch added. "This franchise is bigger than any one player, any coach, any general manager, any owner."
DeBrincat, Edvinsson extensions coming soon
Breathe a sigh of relief, fans: Simon Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat should be extended sooner rather than later. Ilitch implied heavily that Edvinsson's signing is interim GM Shawn Horcoff's top priority, with DeBrincat coming soon after. Ilitch spoke highly of DeBrincat, remarking that he's both a phenomenal player and a wonderful person and great competitor.
It sounds like the Edvinsson extension is inevitable, with the Alex DeBrincat extension a when rather than an if.
Yzerman will remain with the organization as long as he wants to
The first thing Ilitch was asked regarding Yzerman was the timetable of the former GM stepping down. Ilitch clarified that it took so long because Yzerman and his staff had already done the legwork for the draft and free agency and wanted to allow them to complete it withouta chaotic hiring process.
"It became very clear the league is evolving, and requirements in terms of experience and skillset of our top leadership need to evolve as well. It was apparent to me, and I think to some extent it was apparent to Steve as well. Steve's not only a Red Wing icon, but this is a family organization, so it’s always difficult to make this type of change," Ilitch added.
Based on Ilitch's remarks, it sounds as if Yzerman was likely on the same page. In addition, Ilitch clarified Yzerman's position within the organization:
“Steve did a lot of good work in our organization, and both he and I knew this might be the right time to bring in a leader with a rounded skillset that's more in line with the evolution of the league,” Ilitch said. “It was difficult but necessary. I'm grateful he'll stay with us in an advisory role.”
Ilitch again clarified that Yzerman is welcome to stay in his advisory role for as long as he'd like.
On the current GM hiring process
This is where things got particularly frustrating. Where Ilitch offered clearer answers regarding Larkin and DeBrincat, he chose a much more subdued approach when talking about the GM search.
“I have a clear vision, and I know exactly where I plan to take our organization,” Ilitch said. “And I'm very confident we're going to find an excellent leader to help us get there. I believe the future of the Red Wings is exceedingly bright.”
Easy to say, harder to prove. The offseason outlook has been bleak at best, mired by trade requests from captains, general managers stepping down and an overall lack of communication with fans.
"To be frank, inside the organization, things are operating perfectly well," Ilitch added. "It’s a bit of amusement to hear and look at some of that stuff. You know, halfway through the season, we had the fourth-best record in the league. Something happened, and we took a serious slide in the spring."
To be fair, it's not like Ilitch is going to go out and say that the organization he owns and operates is poorly maintained. This one might be more of a "wait and see" than anything.
Still, Ilitch stresses the importance of looking outside the organization on multiple points throughout the interview. "There's an opportunity to inject some new experience, new skills, new abilities that may not exist within our organization today."
Perhaps, despite the slow search, there's a chance the Red Wings do find an outside candidate.
When (and if) that happens is anyone's guess. For now, though, we've got a few answers (and even more questions) moving forward.
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