Steve Yzerman has done it again. He has managed to confuse the entire Red Wings fan base with the most unexpected of unexpected moves at this season's trade deadline.
I think it's fair to say that unless your name begins with "Steve" and ends with "Yzerman", nobody knows what the Red Wings GM is planning on doing at any given moment. This, unfortunately, leads to fans being hit with a wave of emotions at once.
With Yzerman's most recent trade, where he traded Joe Veleno to the Chicago Blackhawks for Craig Smith and Petr Mrazek, many fans were initially hit by a wave of confusion, a wave of anger, and then a combination of the two. I can't say I blame them. It was an incredibly unexpected move and one that doesn't really move the needle in either direction.
I don’t think I like this…..
— Brad Krysko WWP (@BradKrysko) March 7, 2025
Mrazek has been fine but he’s got another year at 4.25 which doesn’t seem ideal.
Craig Smith is fine depth but he’s a pending UFA and a slight upgrade on Veleno.
I have to think there’s another domino to fall for a Detroit goalie? https://t.co/UZ0KSfzdiH
During his trade deadline presser, Yzerman stated that the team was in on several players, but the prices were far too high to justify making the move.
Fans rightfully confused with Yzerman's Trade Deadline
The overall trade didn't make a whole lot of sense. Smith is a moderate upgrade from Veleno, but Mrazek doesn't do anything except add 4.2 million to the cap for the remainder of this season and next season and potentially make a bigger roadblock for Sebastian Cossa to make the roster next season.
This led to most fans being initially confused. The biggest question was, "Why Mrazek?" Sure, the goaltending needs some help, but Mrazek was far from being in anybody's top 5-10 goalies to pick up to help the problem. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else he could do at the deadline. The prices on everybody were too high for a team like the Red Wings to make the moves that would help to fix the issues with the lineup.
There were rumors of Jordan Binnington potentially being available, as well as the everlasting rumors of John Gibson being on the block. These, combined with the expectations for fans, turned the initial confusion into anger and disappointment, with many fans using this as a launchpad to question the Yzerman and the so-called "Yzerplan," as well as some calls for Yzerman to be fired.
In his presser, while he mentioned being in on several players, he also mentioned that the team isn't in a position to give up first and second-round picks as well as top tier prospects such as Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
He also mentioned that they weren't interested in players who didn't fit the age range they're looking for and who weren't just pure rentals. The ones who did come with term and were the proper age range he was looking for cost far too much, and he wasn't going to jeopardize the future just to maybe make the playoffs.
What's important to remember as fans is that the Red Wings are only about four or five seasons past them being one of the worst teams in NHL history. Not to mention the draft whiffs of the last management regime. In fact, with the trading of Veleno, the only Ken Holland draft picks that remain with the organization are Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, and Jonatan Berggren, with Berggren being the only 2018 Ken Holland pick remaining on the team.
It just goes to show just how little Steve Yzerman had to work with when he took over in 2019,