Steve Yzerman has preached patience throughout his tenure as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Due to his resume as a player in Detroit and as a GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, fans were more than happy to wait and trust in the Yzerplan.
However, after the team regressed in 2024-25 in part because of several questionable trades and signings by Yzerman, patience has officially run thin in Hockeytown. If Detroit fails to make significant moves this offseason to break their nine-year playoff drought, the former Red Wings captain will be on an extremely hot seat in the eyes of the fanbase.
Acknowledging that the offseason has barely started and Yzerman may have bigger moves up his sleeve, it is at least concerning in the moment that multiple impactful forwards have been moved already, and Detroit was seemingly uninterested in any of them.
Panic looms as Red Wings stay dormant while trade season begins
Chris Kreider was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for prospect Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round draft pick to kick off trade season. This was followed by Mason Marchment being sent from the Dallas Stars to the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 third-round and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Trevor Zegras then moved from the Ducks to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Kreider, Marchment, and Zegras each have concerns, but would have immediately addressed needs on the Red Wings.
At 34, Kreider is entering the latter half of his career and is not the player he used to be. Yet, he is still only a year removed from three straight 36-plus goal seasons and brings a level of physicality that is absent in Detroit.
Sometimes hidden on the star-studded Dallas roster, Marchment has back-to-back 22-goal seasons and could blossom when given a larger opportunity on a new team. Similar to Kreider, Marchment also brings a physical edge that the Wings need. The 30-year-old is entering the final season of his contract, which perhaps scared Detroit off.
Two short years ago, Zegras was the future of the National Hockey League (NHL). Back-to-back inconsistent and injury-riddled seasons tired Anaheim of the mercurial young star, and they looked to shop him.
The Red Wings were connected to Zegras at last year’s trade deadline, but the forward’s lack of defensive effort likely made Yzerman hesitant. Although the concerns are valid, Zegras is still only 24, and his upside may have been worth it for Detroit. Instead, he ends up on the conference-rival Flyers, who the Wings will likely compete against for a wild-card spot in the playoffs.
In addition to the talent they would have brought to the Wings, the forwards' costs makes these moves even less palatable
Detroit has draft pick capital and a top-five prospect system, meaning they easily could have given up the picks and players involved in all three of these trades. In this part of the rebuild, the Red Wings need more NHL-ready players as opposed to mid-round picks. And it is disappointing that they struck out on making these deals.
While this article would have been much more fun to write if it were about Detroit acquiring a talented forward, it is still too early to panic, and hopefully, Yzerman has better deals in the works. A Jason Robertson or Mitch Marner acquisition would make missing out on Kreider and Zegras more than worth it.
If the Kreider, Zegras, and Marchment deals proved anything, they proved how ready the Winged Wheel faithful are for their team to finally make a significant move.
Yzerman will need to forego his patented patience and add to his roster soon, or else risk alienating the fanbase and bringing his second stint in Detroit to an unceremonious end.
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