The Detroit Red Wings have been pretty quiet regarding their ongoing GM search. Since Steve Yzerman was unceremoniously relieved of command, the organization has essentially been headless.
After reports emerged that the staffing firm had formally taken over the search, some names have trickled out in rumors.
But according to one notable insider, the situation might have just gotten even murkier.
Insider Frank Seravali shed light on the matter in a recent column published in Casino.org. In it, he discussed how the Red Wings totally missed their projected deadline.
“Sources say Detroit hoped to have Yzerman’s successor in place by Labor Day. While that target has passed, a final decision could still come soon.”
Labor Day is still a couple of days away. So, there might still be a chance that the organization could drop a sudden announcement.
But that’s not truly realistic at this point. The goalposts have been moved to a later date, potentially somewhere around the start of training camp.
Unfortunately for Red Wings fans, the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing GM search has not inspired confidence in the team.
Insider dismisses candidates interviewing for Red Wings GM role
During the GM search, several names have emerged among potential candidates. Another insider, Elliotte Friedman, noted a list of candidates that the Red Wings had reportedly checked in on. Servalli confirmed these names in his recent piece.
“Several candidates have emerged in the search, including Florida Panthers assistant GM Brett Peterson and San Jose Sharks assistant GM Jeff Kealty. Another intriguing name in internal discussions is current Detroit Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg, who previously served as an associate GM with the Chicago Blackhawks.”
One of the hottest names was Kealty. Friedman, among other pundits, believed that he and Greenberg could be frontrunners for the Red Wings GM vacancy.
Nevertheless, Seravalli poured cold water on this bit of information.
“However, despite initial reports, sources now indicate that Kealty has not actually interviewed for the position, even though Detroit received permission from San Jose to speak with him.”
So, what’s really going on here? There have been conflicting reports, potentially pointing towards a bit of an internal mess that someone has been woefully unable to sort out.
Detroit will likely start season with Larkin on the roster
Perhaps the most pressing issue is that of Dylan Larkin. Larkin officially remains on as captain of the Red Wings and on the team’s roster. While he should have been traded by now, it increasingly looks like he’ll be on the team once the season starts.
That leads to a massive question: Will the Red Wings have Larkin in camp? If so, will he actually play for the team? Most importantly, will he remain the team’s captain?
Those are questions that should have been answered by now.
Alas, they remain unclear. Beyond rounding out the roster and focusing on day-to-day ops, there will be massive roster decisions to be made. If there is no GM in place, it seems the only logical person who could decide what the Opening Night lineup will look like is coach Todd McLellan.
Will he have enough authority to determine who makes the team and who doesn’t?
Red Wings fans much buckle up because it’s going to be a bumpy next couple of weeks.
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