Steve Yzerman landed the Detroit Red Wings a solid goaltender, and inserted stopgaps at other positions, but he could've done much more last week and toward the end of June. Yzerman seemed like he wanted to do more, but players like Nikolaj Ehlers weren't interested in wearing the winged wheel.
This led me to ask whether there's a Steve Yzerman problem in town. Is he the reason for this disconnect, or is there something more? I don't have the answer to that, but at least Yzerman didn't ink a lower-liner to a five-year, $17 million deal.
In case you haven't yet figured it out, Yzerman's not my favorite NHL exec at the moment, but I'd rather have him than people like Kevyn Adams and, for the moment, at least, Don Sweeney. While Adams is clearly trying to rebuild the Sabres (again), Sweeney's, well, I don't really know what he's trying to do.
I mean, signing a player who's given given teams no more than 12:01 of average total ice time in each of the past three seasons isn't a good look. So, all credit to Yzerman and criticism to Sweeney there. Yzerman's offseason wasn't spectacular, but at least it was tactful.
Red Wings rivals might've made the most 'what were they thinking' signing of the offseason
If you wanted my honest opinion on the Bruins, it seems to me like Sweeney's setting the stage for a long-term rebuilding project. Or at least a retool. While the Yzerplan's evolved enough to at least keep fans interested into late March and even April, Sweeney's latest act could entice fans to pay more attention to the Celtics and Red Sox come March 2026.
As for his other moves? They're really not worth putting too much stock into. He signed Sean Kuraly, who fans in Massachusetts may remember playing for the Bruins until 2020-21. Sweeney also brought in Michael Eyssimont, so it's clear he's loading up on defensive-minded forwards.
Add in a low-risk, low-reward trade for Viktor Arvidsson and you got a team that's well past its prime heading into 2025-26 unless Sweeney throws us a curveball. Spoiler Alert: He won't. Not that the Wings won't have to worry about the Bruins, as any team can sneak up on you, but they look weak on paper.
Red Wings could be worried about the Bruins in the not-so-distant future
All of that said, if the Bruins get James Hagens in town and if David Pastrnak's cool with sticking around through a rebuild - or a retool - then the Bruins could have something here. You can call drafting Hagens the highlight of the Bruins offseason, and one that the team's fan base needed as there's little to look forward to this year except for more mediocre hockey.
At least the Red Wings additions could see this team at least try to contend in 2025-26, even if the odds are greater that they'll end up falling short. Still, the Wings could've regressed, and let's give credit to Yzerman: He didn't land some of the players he wanted, but at least he realized he wasn't out of options.
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