Before anything else, let’s just talk about how lucky we are for general manager Steve Yzerman’s progress fixing what once upon a time looked like an irreparable situation when he first took over. The Detroit Red Wings were in such bad shape when Yzerman made his return to Hockeytown that few envied his new role.
Although the Wings haven’t landed a playoff berth in Yzerman’s tenure, they’ve improved to fringe contender status over the past two seasons, with franchise cornerstones filling the lineup along with a lifelong Red Wing in captain Dylan Larkin.
Heck, they can fix the rest of their woes in one offseason, but Yzerman must step up and make it happen. He didn’t quite pull off that feat last summer when he signed Vladimir Tarasenko, nor did it occur at the trade deadline in March. Now, it’s the moment of truth for Yzerman.
Steve Yzerman cannot afford to disappoint Red Wings fans again
Over the past few days, I’ve listed dozens of free agents Yzerman can go after and sign. And no, he doesn’t need to bring in a ton of names to get this team to break its playoff drought. But he also can’t go into 2025-26 with the same team and expect different results.
Sure, they’re another year older and another year more experienced, and that’s always a plus. But the current unit never made the playoffs, so why should they give us any reason to think differently this time around?
They’re not a bad team, but it was embarrassing to see the Montreal Canadiens pass them up, a unit that looked like they wouldn’t contend until 2026-27 at the earliest. Or the Ottawa Senators, who surprised just about everyone.
But the Wings were supposed to be in one of those two wild card slots, not the Senators or Habs. And to be real, they can overtake them both in one offseason if they bring in a top-six forward and add another physical, defense-first forward or two to their bottom six and one more blueliner.
Steve Yzerman doesn’t need to reinvent the winged wheel this summer, but…
Yzerman’s put this team in a position where they’re closing in on ending this near-decade-long playoff drought and has systematically built them with sharp drafting, especially in the early rounds. No, not every pick was a hit, but when you got so many of your former prospects playing at the NHL level with a few more in the pipeline, you did something right.
Still, the job’s not finished, and a few supplementary players will get this team at least a wild card spot. Or, he could just sign Mitch Marner and that may do the trick. My biggest concern is that the Wings have no top-tier superstar, and that could hurt them - even if it won’t prevent a playoff berth, as plenty of teams full of solid contributors have fared just well.
Still, no more of this ‘do nothing’ madness, or bringing in an older talent who's past his prime. No, it’s time to zero in on needs, bring in players with some tread on their tires, and go into 2025-26 with more optimism than you had in a decade.
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