The Detroit Red Wings are hiring a search firm to help find Steve Yzerman’s successor, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
Yzerman was the club’s general manager from April of 2019 until last month when he transitioned to a role of senior advisor. Owner Christopher Ilitch and the firm are expected to look for an analytics and data-driven successor to Yzerman, according to St. James.
Shawn Horcoff has been handling day-to-day GM duties in the interim, but that reportedly does not extend to trades.
One of the biggest items on the Wings’ new GM’s list concerns the future of forward Dylan Larkin. The team’s captain requested a trade out of Detroit shortly after the regular season ended and, as St. James reports, has not budged on his trade request.
MLive’s Ansar Khan reported last month that Larkin would accept a trade to the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers.
The 30-year-old Larkin is a three-time All-Star and has spent his entire 11-year career in Detroit. He is entering the fourth year of an eight-year, $69.6 million deal that runs through 2030-31 and carries an $8.7 million cap hit.
Larkin had 34 goals and 33 assists in 74 games last season but the Red Wings were once again unable to reach the playoffs for the 10th straight season, covering the entirety of Yzerman’s six-year tenure in the front office.
It’s a far cry from Yzerman’s playing career that saw him win three Stanley Cups with the organization over his 22-year NHL career.
The Red Wings placed sixth in the Atlantic Division last season with a record of 41-31-10.
