The Detroit Red Wings could be turning to an intriguing choice to replace the departed Steve Yzerman.
The need to name a new GM could lead the organization to hire former Toronto Maple Leafs President of Hockey Operations (POHO) Brendan Shanahan.
Insider Elliotte Friedman floated the idea of Shanahan returning to Detroit as a potential replacement for Yzerman in this search process. During an appearance on NHL Tonight on July 15, Friedman stated that he believed Shanahan could be one of the first names Red Wings fans could hear.
"You're going to hear a lot of names like Brendan Shanahan, that was one of the first people I thought of.”
The one point that Friedman made regarding Shanahan as an option for Detroit was the fact that the former exec left Toronto in “a better place than he found it.”
That statement is a reference to the Shanaplan that saw the Maple Leafs rebuild following a decade of disaster. The rebuild led to a decade-long playoff streak that ended last season.
Since the situation in Toronto did not yield the desired results, the organization moved on from Shanahan following the 2024-25 season. Since then, the former Red Wings’ Stanley Cup champ has been linked to several organizations.
However, he hasn’t found a job yet.
How Shanahan fits into Red Wings organization
Beyond being a franchise legend on the ice, Shanahan is a well-respected hockey executive. He’s one of the most well-known and trusted names out there. But his role in Detroit wouldn’t be as the GM. He could likely come in as a President or Senior Vice-President of Hockey Operations.
And that’s just the thing. Under Yzerman, the Red Wings fused the GM and POHO roles into a single person. That’s a structure that could very well change under Shanahan. Detroit could go with a two-person system. In other words, Shanahan could become the POHO with someone else running the day-to-day GM duties.
That approach may be the most reasonable, but it would depend on a crucial factor that Friedman underscored.
Detroit to build around the right person
Another interesting point that Friedman made was the fact that the Red Wings would be willing to build around the right person. So, instead of deciding on a structure and fitting candidates into that structure, the organization would find the right person and then build the structure to match the candidate(s).
That situation means that the Red Wings will be looking for the ideal candidate to fill the void and then figure out how to build a structure around them.
That’s what the Nashville Predators did earlier this season. They found the right person, Chris MacFarland, and then built a structure around them.
That’s what Red Wings fans could expect here. Friedman believes the organization will cast a wide net. That’s it may take some time for the team to find its next GM. Nevertheless, Friedman did underscore the possibility of Shawn Horcoff or Kris Draper taking over.
Ultimately, the search may not take as long as some might believe.
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