Steve Yzerman announced in July that he would be stepping down from his position as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings to move into an advisor role.
At the time, it was unclear whether Yzerman made the call himself, but team owner Chris Ilitch revealed Thursday he made the “difficult but necessary decision” to demote the franchise legend.
Ilitch spoke to Max Bultman of The Athletic on the state of the franchise, including his reaction to chants of “Sell the team” being heard at Little Caesars Arena.
“Fans absolutely have the right to tell us how they feel,” Ilitch said prior to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, moving the team to 2-3-2 on the season. “This is their team. So, I understand fan frustration. I share it, to be frank. My thoughts are that fans want to see our team win on the ice, and I do too. And as the person that’s accountable for this franchise, it’s why I made the change (in general managers), and it’s why I’m so deliberate in our search.”
The Red Wings moved Shawn Horcoff into the role of interim general manager in September, but the former NHL forward has seemingly been behind the eight-ball since being promoted. Horcoff inherited a trade request from star forward Dylan Larkin as well as a difficult contract negotiation with defenceman Simon Edvinsson.
Larkin was stripped of his captaincy before training camp and his situation continues to hang over the team. The 30-year-old centre has heard boos on home ice this season and was serenaded by “We want Larkin” chants in a shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens last weekend.
He was not among the six players included in a leadership meeting for the Red Wings earlier this week, a clear indication of his precarious place with the team.
Edvinsson remains unsigned as a restricted free agent as a Dec. 1 deadline to reach a contract continues to move closer. Horcoff said Tuesday that trading the blueliner is not something he is entertaining, but TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun has reported that the Boston Bruins are among the at least 10 teams that have inquired on his availability.
Horcoff got his first major piece of business done this week in signing Alex DeBrincat to a seven-year, $91 million contract extension, keeping the winger from reaching the free-agent market on July 1.
Rebuild not off the table?
Ilitch was unwilling to set a timeline on when a decision will be made on a permanent general manager, stating a hiring could be made soon or could come closer the end of the season. He added that Horcoff remains a candidate to take over on a full-time basis.
Horcoff said last month that a rebuild was out of the question for the Red Wings, but Ilitch left the door open on Thursday.
“I’m accountable for the direction of the franchise, and also for finding the right folks to lead it,” Ilitch told Bultman. “It’s been very consistent what my role has been, (which) is to find great leaders, to provide them the resources and the authority to do their jobs, and then support that. And that’s what I’ve consistently done. I’ve done it with Steve, I do it with Shawn, and I’ll do it with our next leader of hockey operations.
“I’m not going to sit here and act like a GM,” he added. “That’s a question that I think is a really good question for our GM. Shawn and I talk about those types of things and all types of issues; he shares with me his thoughts, his strategy. I hear them; we have healthy discussions about them. I’ll ask questions, and ultimately I support him in the direction he wants to go on a whole host of hockey operations-type issues.”
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported Thursday that the Red Wings are looking for two ‘A’-quality prospects, an NHL-ready top-nine forward and a first-round pick back for Larkin. The former captain’s approved trade list has grown from three teams initially to a list of 10 contenders currently.
“I believe that there are clubs out there that are willing to pay that price,” Dreger said Thursday of the price tag. “It doesn’t sound too steep when you look at the significance of Larkin as a No. 2 centre on most teams in the NHL.
“But so far, there hasn’t been a fit – at least with the teams on his list.”
Finding clarity in the Larkin and Edvinsson situations will be crucial in allowing the Red Wings to set their long-term outlook after missing the playoffs in each of the past 10 seasons.