The Red Wings have had a nightmare of a 2024-25 season, and it’s something a few haunting statistics have proven. Steve Yzerman had one job this season, and that was to make one or two more big moves that would bring the Wings back into a familiar spot: the NHL Playoffs.
I’m not saying they won’t make it, as they’re just one hot streak from turning things around. But having a head start throughout the first half of 2024-25 would have been nice. Instead, the Wings underperformed and played mediocre hockey on their best days.
That said, it’s time for a Festivus-style ‘airing of grievances’ against this underachieving squad. What could Yzerman have done better, and how could it have affected the Red Wings?
Grievance No. 1 - Refusing to acquire more top-six talent
This one made sense in the offseason, given the Red Wings scoring outburst last year. But once it became apparent that this team was going to struggle with the puck, Steve Yzerman should have made a big move that we know he’s capable of making.
And it’s not like it would have been hard to convince a player on a no-trade clause to call Detroit home. The Red Wings are a historic franchise, and Detroit is a large market that would increase a player’s reach if they wore a red and white uniform.
Grievance No. 2 - Letting Shayne Gostisbehere walk
If there was one player I’d have gone out of my way to have tried and re-signed, it would have been Shayne Gostisbehere. While making room for younger players and/or stopgaps might have made sense if the Wings were a far cry from playoff contention last season, the truth is, they were right there.
Players who had a key role in 2023-24 would have, and should have, been given more of a priority in the offseason, but that clearly wasn’t the case here. If it were, Gostisbehere would still be in a Red Wings uniform.
Grievance No. 3 - Not trading Ville Husso
Ville Husso at least made some improvements, but it was nowhere near enough to justify keeping him around. Still, there are a few relevant, goaltender-needy teams in hockey, and they may have dished out a solid amount of compensation in exchange for Husso had Yzerman tried to send him elsewhere.
Yeah, the Wings would have found themselves in a predicament, considering their injuries at goaltender, but they also would have found someone capable of manning the net. Instead, Husso underperformed for most of the season, and he’s now nothing more than organizational depth.