Recently, Red Wings center Dylan Larkin made a few comments believed to be directed at general manager Steve Yzerman for his lack of moves at the deadline. And in many ways, Larkin had a point, as Yzerman only brought in Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks before calling it a day.
Definitely not what Larkin or a contingent of fans had in mind when March 7th hit, given the Wings position in the standings at the time. Well, Yzerman now had a few words (of rebuttal?), potentially for Larkin, saying, "I started with this process six years ago with an emphasis on drafting and developing, and for the most part, we've decided to stick with that and will continue to stick with that. We'll try to draft well and (development coaches) Dan Cleary and Nick Kronwall, they've done an excellent job in developing our prospects."
To be real, I’ve supported Yzerman’s plan, more affectionately known as the Yzerplan, for a while. Drafting and developing prospects in house is a great way to build a strong, playoff-caliber core. And Yzerman’s done that, something I’ve given recognition to in the past.
Steve Yzerman stands by his lack of moves at the deadline, but were they right?
The short answer is no, they weren’t right. Why? I’m sure I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again here: You were on the verge of ending your playoff drought. I get that you had a plan in place and a good one, too. A plan that most NHL teams should adopt since the Yzerplan worked well in Tampa and you can at least say it’s improving the Red Wings to where they’re contenders.
But there’s also something out there called the ‘invisible hand,’ which is often applied to economics. Still, you can make the same case to apply it here for building an NHL team. To put it in my own terms for hockey, it’s making adjustments based on how the team is faring, and which players become expendable elsewhere who will help your team succeed.
It seems like Yzerman is so bent on sticking to a plan, even when there are more valid reasons to adjust that plan that could bring benefits to the Red Wings franchise as a whole. Not saying a couple of better moves would have pushed the Wings into the playoffs as opposed to trades for Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith, but they would have likely benefited the team more.
The best general managers adjust; they don’t ‘stick to plans’
Again, there’s nothing wrong with planning and there definitely isn’t anything wrong with the Yzerplan in theory, especially since it worked wonders for the Tampa Bay Lightning. But the Red Wings and Lightning weren’t exactly in the same situation when Yzerman took over in Year 1 of each stint, and that’s something he and supporters of the Yzerplan in Detroit need to realize.
He needs to adjust his plan based on how close the team is to earning its first playoff berth in forever, but whether it’s stubbornness, egoism, or a combo thereof, Yzerman won’t budge. Maybe that won’t be the case this summer, but he gives me little reason to believe otherwise at this point.
So, who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong here regarding this war of words between Yzerman and Larkin? If you ask me, it’s Larkin.