If you're Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, it's hard to argue against the kind of awesome life you've forged for yourself. You're a franchise legend who already brought one hockey team into relevance. And now, you get to try and do the same with the organization that you became that legend with.
Except, reality seems to hit hard every day. And the narrative seems to change every day. While I didn't agree with the way Yzerman's ran the team over the past couple of seasons, I still found a way to applaud and respect the guy.
He stuck to his plan, regardless of the scrutiny he found himself under, and that's bold. Not too many people can do that. And then word started coming out that big-name free agents weren't interested in talking with Yzerman and the Red Wings in the first place.
Yzerman seemed more than interested in Nikolaj Ehlers, but Ehlers didn't even want to consider playing for one of the league's most historical franchises. And one Yzerman at least had trending north. He also landed just one big trade this offseason, one that involved goaltender John Gibson coming to town.
Do the Detroit Red Wings really have a Steve Yzerman problem?
Right now, it's hard to say no, given the way teams had bypassed the Wings in free agency, and the fact he couldn't land potential key assets like Mason Marchment in trades. This one should have Wings fans raising eyebrows, and asking why Yzerman can't lure good, solid players to Hockeytown, or to entice more teams to trade.
For me, this means 'playoffs or bust' in 2025-26 more than ever. If you want to lure people to the Motor City and pull off a few more blockbuster deals, the winged wheel and its storied history's not enough. You need to prove that you have a surefire winning product on the ice. If not, then the Wings will stay in perpetual mediocrity and this playoff drought won't end anytime soon.
If there's any good news, it's that the Wings at least have a core and they made strong supplementary additions last week. Jacob Bernard-Docker especially can be a sleeper, and if he builds off his small, but successful stint he had with the Buffalo Sabres, the situation will look a lot better.
The foundation and core are intact, but player interest is lagging
Right now, there's hardly any interest from big-name players wanting to continue their career with the Wings. That's alarming, and there's a good chance that the man in charge is to blame here.
But it's also not all doom and gloom, with players like Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin leading the way. I know a hopeless team when I see one, and the Wings certainly aren't hopeless. There are enough good players in Hockeytown to win enough games in 2025-26 that players may have genuine interest to land there at the trade deadline.
That said, if Yzerman just found a way to make this place a little more attractive in the summer of 2025, the Wings would enter the season with a whole lot more confidence from fans. Unfortunately, that won't be the case when October rolls around.