The Detroit Red Wings need a new General Manager for the 2026-27 season and have several names to consider, especially in-house. Two names that jump out are Assistant General Managers Shawn Horcoff and Kris Draper.
But a third name has gained a lot of interest, and that is Nicklas Lidstrom.
While Wings fans might not be too keen on the idea of another former captain and franchise icon being GM after how terribly the Steve Yzerman tenure went, Lidstrom makes a lot of sense, for good reasons.
He knows what it takes to win in the Motor City and knows what a locker room needs. That sounds like Steve Yzerman 2.0. But much like on the ice, Lidstrom has a different leadership style compared to Yzerman.
Yzerman was a hard and demanding leader towards his players to a fault. It's speculated that it's a driving reason behind Dylan Larkin's trade request. Too hard on the players in-house while not gathering reinforcements.
Nicklas Lidstrom would have a much different outcome as GM than Steve Yzerman
Lidstrom would take a different approach. Lidstrom on the ice was always a calm, cool, and collected player who always made the right play at the right time. He would do the same as the General Manager.
Lidstrom always acted in the best interest of the team on the ice, hardly ever making a mistake. Thus receiving the nickname "The Perfect Human". So far, he has done a great job keeping that nickname in the scouting department for the Red Wings. Finding players like Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson.
He also played a part in scouting Moritz Seider. Everyone can agree all three of those picks have done wonders for the Wings. So he has proven it on the ice and as a scout, so why not give him a chance to steer the ship as the GM?
Who knows, too, the Perfect Human might be the perfect GM to convince Larkin to stay. While making moves to get the Wings back on track and in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Add us as a preferred source on Google