Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman held his end-of-season press conference today. This is the seventh end-of-season press conference he's held since taking over as general manager and the seventh consecutive time the Red Wings have missed the playoffs. Yzerman, candid as ever, laid out how the season went, what the Red Wings need to do to make the playoffs and his job security moving forward:
Yzerman on Red Wings' end of season collapse
"To sit here and say that everything's going according to plan -- no," Yzerman stated flatly. There are things I'm pleased about but things that are also disappointing. We sit here today a week after the end of the regular season and I think we're all kind of emotional about this. We need to take some time to analyze this."
This is the fourth consecutive season that the Red Wings have collapsed in March. This time around, the Red Wings ended with a 92-point campaign -- good for 16th in overall standings.
Yzerman on job security, urgency
The next question regarded speaking to Red Wings ownership after the end of the season. "I spoke with [Chris Illitch] a few days ago," Yzerman said. "The entire family is very disappointed with the way the season has played out. [Chris] continues to be supportive of what we're trying to do here. We intend to have further conversations about our team and organization in the near future."
When asked about his job security, he kept things as plain and simple as possible. "I don't think I'm just gonna sit around and hope for the best. I intend to do my job to the best of my ability and to address the areas I need to. I intend to see this through."
On "jerseys" on the ice
Earlier in the season, head coach Todd McLellan was fed up with how the team was playing. He called out several players anonymously by referring to them as "just jerseys" who weren't contributing in the lineup. Yzerman, to his credit, defended the staff and players, saying that it isn't his job to "just dump on them".
"Our players have to do what's necessary throughout the season. "It's up to Todd and his staff to get the players that we have to play a certain way, but it's also on the players to do it."
On fortitutde and toughness
"I expect a lot more. Some players had good season, but I expect more out of others. I went through this as a player myself. The ups and the downs, the disappointments...you have to learn to be tough. "
"That's a challenge for a lot of our guys. Ultimately, it's up to Todd and myself to make these players and to prepare them better."
On roster construction
One reporter asked Yzerman if something needs to change about the roster construction of the team.
"Definitely. We've been in the process of acquiring young draft picks and prospects while being patient and letting them develop. As we're fighting for a playoff spot, the focus will be more on getting this lineup over the edge. The reality is, we need to score more 5 on 5. That requires more talent and scoring ability."
The Red Wings finished the 2025-26 season with the third-lowest even-strength scoring in the NHL. Only the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks were harder
"We need to be a harder team to play against. My message to them is that, if we want to be a team that's harder to play against, we need to play hard [laughs]. If you can't do that, then I'll just have to ship you out."
Overall takeaways from Red Wings' press conference
The biggest theme of this press conference focused on accountability. He understands the frustrations of fans and the ownership. He and McLellan both stated multiple times that it's on them to improve the team this offseason. The priority this offseason, per Yzerman, is acquiring even-strength scoring and making the Red Wings tougher to play against. This can, of course, come in many forms, but it's encouraging to see Yzerman own the failure and talk a little bit about accountability moving forward.
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