Updated

Updated · Sportsnet.ca · Jul 15

Steve Yzerman Leaves Red Wings GM Post After 7 Seasons, Takes Senior Advisory Role

Updated

Updated · Sportsnet.ca · Jul 15

Steve Yzerman Leaves Red Wings GM Post After 7 Seasons, Takes Senior Advisory Role

Q: With Yzerman gone, is captain Dylan Larkin's trade demand now off the table, or is a franchise-altering deal inevitable?

Larkin’s trade demand is not automatically off the table just because Yzerman stepped aside, and a major deal still looks very possible. Yzerman’s exit removes one clear source of tension. Reporting around Larkin’s request pointed to a strained relationship with Yzerman, dating to difficult contract talks and frustration over Detroit’s inactivity at the trade deadline. A new hockey-operations chief could try to reset that relationship and make the case that the organization is changing course. But the larger issue remains: Larkin wants to win, and the Red Wings have missed the playoffs for 10 straight years. That problem did not disappear with a front-office change. Unless Detroit can quickly convince him that a real turnaround is coming, the logic behind his request still stands. The contract structure gives both sides leverage. Larkin is signed through 2030-31 at $8.7 million annually, a valuable number for a top-line center, and he has a full no-trade clause. Detroit is under no pressure to move him cheaply, while Larkin can control any destination. That combination makes a trade complicated, but it also means the return could be franchise-shaping if the team decides to act. So the most likely reading is this: the demand is still alive, but not yet irreversible. The next head of hockey operations will probably get a chance to meet with Larkin and test whether a reset is possible. If that fails, a blockbuster trade becomes the defining decision of Detroit’s next era.

3 articles · Updated · Sportsnet.ca · Jul 15

Detroit said Wednesday that Steve Yzerman will shift from executive vice president and general manager to a senior advisory role for governor and CEO Chris Illitch.
The Red Wings have started a search for a new head of hockey operations, with Yzerman staying in his current job for now to handle day-to-day duties and help guide the transition.
Yzerman will also advise on the general manager search, keeping him involved with the franchise he led as a player for 22 seasons and as GM since returning in 2019.
His move extends a Red Wings tenure that includes 3 Stanley Cups as a player, a role in the club's 2007-08 title as an executive, and 1,755 career points.