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The Detroit Red Wings cannot seem to escape the headlines this summer. First, captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the team. That situation has continued to linger throughout the summer with no apparent resolution. Now, the Red Wings are without a general manager as Steve Yzerman has departed from that role.
This has been quite the mess of an offseason. In a summer when Detroit should have been focused on getting better, they have been left scrambling. Their immediate direction as a franchise is unclear. And their long-term outlook is even more murky.
This team has the talent to make the playoffs, even without Larkin. Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond are two of the more promising young players in the NHL. Seider, in particular, is among the best in the league at his position. Other players such as Simon Edvinsson, Alex DeBrincat, and Emmitt Finnie give this team needed consistency, as well.
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However, it’s hard to ignore what the Red Wings could have accomplished this summer. It’s been a complete disaster and has left the team trying to pick up the pieces of a failed rebuild. Speaking of that rebuild, there is certainly an argument to be made that this summer could have gone a lot better for Detroit had they acted a bit sooner in one regard.
Red Wings waited too long to remove Steve Yzerman from GM chair
For most, the decision to take Yzerman out of the GM role came years too late. But removing that, the timing of his departure this summer in particular is quite odd. And it speaks to a franchise that has lost control of its own destiny.
The moves Yzerman made this summer aren’t bad by any means. He got a first-round pick in a trade involving Sebastian Cossa. Signing Viktor Arvidsson and Daniil Tarasov are both defensible and reasonable. The trade for a player like Keegan Kolesar added an element to this team that they desperately needed.
One could point to Detroit’s decision not to simply restart and sell its stars as the team’s biggest mistake. That’s certainly a fair criticism, but it also goes in tandem with who is making the decisions. Yzerman clearly had his mind set on competing, even in the face of Larkin’s trade request.
His departure now throws everything into chaos. Had the Red Wings committed to moving on from their former captain sooner, things could have gone differently. The new general manager could have laid out his vision and executed the offseason to a much better degree. Whether they decide to rebuild the rebuild or go for it in 2026-27, there would at least have been a clear path forward.
Now, it’s hard to say what the Red Wings will do. By and large, the NHL offseason is about over. A few free agents still need to sign new contracts. But outside of them, the big moves are done and over with. The possibility of a Larkin trade before the 2026-27 season fades with each passing day.
The Red Wings are likely to have a new general manager in place before the new season begins in late September. But their ability to actually make their mark on this team before then is quite limited by the timing of Yzerman’s departure. And their reticence to tell a legend that it’s time for a change is the Red Wings’ biggest mistake so far this offseason.
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