Back in 2018, the New York Rangers - a proud Original Six franchise that had fallen on hard times - posted a “letter” to their fans explaining that the organization was going to rebuild. The letter thanked fans for their passion and asked them for their patience as the rebuild progressed.
At the time, this gesture might have been easy to dismiss from anyone on the outside looking in. That letter was effectively ownership and management asking fans to continue supporting the team ($$$) despite setting themselves up to ice a losing team in the upcoming years. It could have also been shrugged off as a sort of gimmick, especially when the Rangers issued yet another letter a few months ago, signaling a step back to retool this time around.
But this is a space for articles about the Detroit Red Wings, so what does the Rangers’ letters have to do with them? Well, in an offseason where the biggest stories surrounding the organization have hardly been acknowledged, perhaps fans deserve a letter not unlike what Rangers fans received all those years ago.
Perhaps, more directly, Red Wings fans deserve an apology for what has been the most chaotic offseason this franchise and its fans have endured in a generation.
The Larkin situation
We probably should have known a lack of transparency was going to be the organization’s M.O. well before we got to this point. We should have known this was going to be the case when we heard nothing in the days and weeks after news of Dylan Larkin’s trade request went public.
Do you remember the lightning strike of reactions that news sent across the fanbase? Some fans were quick to turn their backs on Larkin just as he turned his back on them. Other fans were in disbelief, with some of them even holding out hope that someone from the organization or Larkin’s camp would come out and dismiss the news entirely.
But that dismissal never came. In fact, the only formal acknowledgement the organization has given this situation was when Steve Yzerman spoke about the situation to wrap up his press availability following the 2026 draft. He did not get into specifics, but said that he should be able to speak more about the situation “in the future”.
However, that future never came as Yzerman was dismissed as the Red Wings’ general manager (GM) less than three weeks later. Since the organization sent out the statement signaling the change in the front office, nothing, not even a peep has come out of Detroit or from Larkin’s camp or the player himself. In fact, Moritz Seider is the only representative of the Red Wings to acknowledge the situation since the end of June, and he did that earlier this week.
A lack of communication led to increased frustration
While no one should expect the Red Wings to still complete a Larkin trade while they search for a new GM, it is puzzling, to say the least, that the only real acknowledgement of THE story coming out of Detroit this offseason came from a GM that no longer holds that position - and even then, Yzerman wasn’t prepared to discuss the situation at length.
Larkin’s situation has held the Red Wings and their fans hostage since Elliotte Friedman shared the news in early June. This is a player that has been the face of the franchise since the Pavel Datsyuk/Henrik Zetterberg era ended, and a player that has been the Red Wings’ captain for over five years now. Countless fans, young and old, are wondering what to do with the #71 jersey hanging in their closet.
More importantly, fans, players and even executives of other NHL organizations are all wondering what direction the Red Wings are heading in in response to this development.
For a brief period of time, it seemed like we at least had a vague idea, and there was a rough timeframe of when we would learn more. Now the Red Wings have been directionless for about two months, and we’re all still debating the pros and cons of Larkin returning to Detroit’s locker room this season. His trade request was always going to be a frustrating situation, but it didn’t have to result in chaos and confusion like it has.
What’s worse is that the organization is seemingly in no rush to clean up the mess.
New GM - and ownership - needs to make a statement
It wasn’t that long ago when Yzerman sat before the press and explained his vision of how to rebuild the Red Wings and restore them to their former glory. Say what you will about The Captain’s tenure as The GM, but you can’t deny that he made his objectives and plans clear right from the start. As the years went on, he reiterated his intention to build through the draft whenever he could, and he was fairly transparent when discussing where he thought the team was at and what he wanted to seek out for improvements.
When the Red Wings do eventually name their next GM, that individual - who may or may not be accompanied by a President of Hockey Operations - will need to also make their plan and intentions clear from day one. Fair or not fair, they will have to answer questions about the state of the team and organization as it is today. They will have to be prepared to answer questions about Larkin, and they will have to answer questions about how they intend to mold the Red Wings into a Stanley Cup contender.
Most importantly, the new GM - and maybe ownership to a larger extent - will have to answer for the state of calamity the Red Wings have been in all summer. Fans that grew up hearing pundits call the Red Wings the NHL’s model franchise are now enduring a summer where Detroit has quickly become the laughingstock of the league. You cannot pin that all on Yzerman; it is a failure from up and down the organization that they find themselves in this place.
In a case of peak self-awareness, the Red Wings have instead responded by placing the ‘Hockeytown’ logo back at center ice (seemingly on a permanent basis) and ticket prices have not become more affordable. So not only have the Red Wings failed to communicate basically anything with their fans this summer, but they also expect you to pay hand over fist to watch a team whose best-case scenario right now is more of what we’ve had the last three seasons: chasing a playoff spot just to finish in the murky middle.
A call for transparency
Say what you will about the Rangers and their infamous letter, but at least their fans knew what was going on from the moment it was published. Red Wings fans have to spend their days refreshing their news feeds and speculating with other fans as to what’s going to happen because those questions haven’t already been answered by the organization.
Whether you’re talking about family, politics, business or the cleanliness of the water you’re drinking, transparency goes a long way. There was a lot of chatter recently about whether or not the organization had even started interviewing candidates for the GM position. Some folks said they hadn’t, while others insisted they had. While the organization hides in the plain daylight, there are journalists whose integrity and sourcing are coming under fire because fans are desperate for answers.
All of this is why the Red Wings not only need to make their intentions clear, but they should also issue an apology to fans.
Not for 10-straight seasons without playoff hockey.
Not for the cost of tickets or merchandise.
Not even for allowing an offseason like this to happen.
They should apologize for taking their fans for granted in a time where those same fans are as frustrated as they have ever been. They should apologize for failing to communicate with the people that ultimately pay the players’ salaries and keep the lights on at Little Caesars Arena. They should apologize for letting “Hockeytown” feel like a gimmick from the past, because a team from “Hockeytown” would not function the way this team and organization has.
You deserve an explanation and an apology. Maybe you’ll get it once they get their stuff together.
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