Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman hasn't gotten the team where they need to be yet, but they're close.
Detroit Red Wings fans have hyped up GM Steve Yzerman and the ‘Yzerplan’ ever since he stepped into the role in April 2019.
At first, they had good reason to. Yzerman served as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s GM from 2010 to 2018, where he built the team into a perennial contender by drafting key contributors, such as Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. He was also named the 2015 NHL GM of the year.
Yzerman, a Hall of Fame forward who spent his entire 22-year career with the Red Wings, led the team to three Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, 2002) and served as their captain for 19 seasons, the longest in North American professional sports history.
His return to Detroit in 2019-20 seemed like destiny. The Red Wings were in the midst of a rebuild and had missed the playoffs in the previous three seasons.
However, his return hasn’t gone as hoped.
Mid-tier signings and a lack of success have stained Yzerman's tenure as Detroit's GM. The Red Wings also hold the second-longest active playoff drought at eight years.
It’s been a long build-up for the Red Wings, but it's not all bad. In recent years, they’ve put together some promising seasons.
In 2023-24, they put up 91 points and were the last team to be eliminated. In 2024-25, they put up 86 points, narrowly missing the playoffs once again.
Yzerman may not have drafted a superstar, such as Nathan MacKinnon or Auston Matthews, but he has managed to find and re-sign a few players who have turned into key contributors.
Young veterans, such as Lucas Raymond (fourth overall in 2020, signed through 2031-32) and Moritz Seider (sixth overall in 2019, signed through 2030-31), are stepping it up.
Captain Dylan Larkin, who’s signed through 2030-31, is on pace to one-up the career-high 79 points he recorded in 2022-23. And since being boosted to the first line, their 2023 seventh-round selection, Emmitt Finnie, has also looked excellent, with eight points in 10 games.
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While some of Yzerman’s off-season acquisitions haven’t panned out, such as Justin Holl, Andrew Copp, Ville Husso and Vladimir Tarasenko, he made a splash in the 2023 off-season.
That summer, he acquired star left winger Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a conditional 2024 first-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick.
In two seasons with the Red Wings, DeBrincat has performed well as a top-six forward and hasn’t missed a game. He also improved his point total last season and is off to another solid start this year, with 10 points in 10 games.
So while Yzerman hasn’t been perfect, he’s put together a competitive roster the last two seasons, and this year might be the best one yet.
Can They Finally Avoid The Late-Season Struggles?
In each of the last two seasons, the Red Wings had a competitive record until they crumbled in the final two months of the season, leaving them just outside the playoff picture.
In 2023-24, the Red Wings were 33-21-6 at the end of February but lost their groove and ended the year 8-11-3. They finished with 91 points, which tied them with the Washington Capitals for the second wild-card spot, but Detroit missed the playoffs due to its head-to-head record. The Red Wings beat the Capitals 8-3 in their first meeting that season before dropping the next two.
That off-season, Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane and brought in Tarasenko and Cam Talbot. He also dealt away Jake Walman and a second-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations. Walman, a first-pairing defenseman who missed the end of the 2023 season, was on a relatively cap-friendly salary ($3.4 million) and has since continued his strong play in Edmonton.
Despite their late-season choke, it appeared Yzerman believed in the core they had.
Not much changed in the 2024-25 season. After a 13-17-4 start led Yzerman to replace coach Derek Lalonde with Todd McLellan on Boxing Day, the Wings went 15-5-1 to climb into a wild-card spot in mid-February at 28-22-5. However, they collapsed and finished the season 11-13-3, missing the playoffs by five points.
Once again, Yzerman’s off-season moves weren’t the flashy ones fans had hoped for. He re-signed Kane, brought in Mason Appleton and James van Riemsdyk and traded Tarasenko, who underwhelmed in Hockeytown with 33 points in 80 games.
All signs pointed to Yzerman being confident in the development of the team’s core players, and it’s looking like his belief could pay off.
Like clockwork, Detroit is off to a hot start this season. They sit second in the Atlantic Division at 7-3-0 and look like a much more well-rounded team on the ice.
A Promising Prospect Pool Could Provide The Boost They Need
Yzerman has also built a talented prospect pool with several top players having just made their debut or nearing their arrival.
Trey Augustine, the Red Wings' top goalie prospect, was the youngest starting netminder in college hockey last season, finishing as a first-team All-American and Big Ten goalie of the year. He’s expected to make his pro debut next season, and with Detroit’s uncertain goalie situation, he could provide a big boost.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka made the opening roster and is in the midst of developing into a solid defenseman. With an exceptional shot and excellent hockey IQ, his transition from the Swedish League to the NHL has been smooth. He’s played most often with 22-year-old Simon Edvinsson on the second defensive pairing and has also seen notable power-play minutes, showing management’s belief in him.
No, the Yzerplan hasn’t been perfect. Yes, it’s taking longer than expected. There are still concerns, such as goaltending and a lack of star power.
But they have shown signs of progression over the last few seasons and have some talented prospects on the verge of making the NHL.
Red Wings fans might need to wait a little longer, but the ‘Yzerplan’ looks like it’s on the verge of coming together.
Correction: Axel Sandin-Pellikka played in the Swedish League.
Michael Hapanovich is an intern with The Hockey News.
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