It's been two and a half months since Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman stepped down from his position. Since then, the Red Wings have hired an outside firm to conduct a GM search. Two candidates - Jeff Greenberg and Shawn Horcoff - are out of the running. But, as far as actual updates go, the team has offered nothing but radio silence.
This, in turn, has led to increasing frustrations within the fanbase and the team itself. Today, Elliotte Friedman threw some additional gasoline on that fire by sharing an update on the interview process.
"Detroit has asked for permission [to interview GM candidates] but hasn't interviewed them," Friedman shared on 32 Thoughts.
Yes, you read that correctly: the Red Wings have had nearly three months to hire a GM and haven't even bothered to follow up on candidates they've asked permission to interview.
Whether this is a failure on the outside firm or owner and CEO Chris Ilitch is open to interpretation. But, with that said, Friedman admits that he's still playing catch up after his contract fiasco.
"I will confess as my contract stuff was going on that dropped out on it a bit, so I have to get a better handle on where it's at."
Even if Friedman is playing catch up, he isn't the first one to mention this lack of follow through. Frank Seravalli on the FAN Morning Show shared the exact same thoughts on yesterday's show.
Ownership's increasing incompetence leading to frustration
This isn't the first offseason story of Ilitch or the ownership group bringing about frustration. Earlier this offseason, Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press revealed that the Red Wings very nearly signed 40 goal scorer Steven Stamkos before Ilitch shot it down.
It's hard to figure out if this failure to follow up falls on the outside firm or on Ilitch himself. Either way, it's an indictment on the current state of the organization. What's the point of casting a wide net if you aren't going to pull in what you catch? It would be one thing if they had an ideal candidate in mind and were simply not moving forward with other candidates.
But it's September 10, 2026, and the Red Wings still haven't hired a general manager.
Worst of all, these candidates (and the organizations they represent) will remember this slight. How do you think that will affect relationships down the road? How likely is it that one of these candidates is willing to trade with the Red Wings, an organization that, for lack of a better term, ghosted them?
Red Wings need to release statement immediately
This has gone on far longer than it should have. In order to retain goodwill with the fanbase and show that they have an acutal plan, the team neesd to release a statement. With training camp just a few days away, they need to inform the fans where they're at in the search, who they're looking at and what their plan is moving forward.
It's baffling that an Original Six franchise - the most successful franchise in the United States - is working at this level of incompetency.
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