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FOLKS, WE NEED TO talk about the ‘Yzerplan.’ It has now been seven full seasons since franchise legend Steve Yzerman took over as GM of the Detroit Red Wings, and for a seventh consecutive season, the Wings failed to make the playoffs.

Oh sure, Detroit has come close to making the post-season, but that’s cold comfort for Red Wings fans, who had become accustomed to excellence in the early part of this century. Think about it this way: former captain and fellow legend Nicklas Lidstrom did not miss the playoffs a single year during his two decades with the franchise, and he retired in 2012. Current captain Dylan Larkin has made the post-season just once during his decade in Detroit – and it was during his rookie campaign.

When Yzerman came over from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019, it was with much fanfare. After playing his entire career for the Red Wings, he cut his teeth in the front office before heading to the Sunshine State, where he helped build what would become a two-time Stanley Cup winner. But for the record, Julien BriseBois was the GM when the Bolts broke through.

Nonetheless, there was joy in Motown when Yzerman returned, and soon after, a rebuild, colloquially known as the Yzerplan, was set in motion.

Now, rebuilds take a long time – longer than you would probably think, in fact. But you tend to see at least a little progress. Under Yzerman, the Red Wings have stagnated and done so in the worst position possible: the mushy middle. They’re not good enough to make the playoffs, and they haven’t been bad enough to get a franchise-altering draft pick. Even when they were, the lottery balls were scornful: the highest pick they got was No. 4, when they took Lucas Raymond in 2020. They whiffed when they picked Filip Zadina one spot ahead of Quinn Hughes in 2018, though Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson were both savvy selections in later drafts (not Quinn Hughes savvy, but hey…).

UNDER YZERMAN,THE RED WINGS HAVE STAGNATED AND DONE SO IN THE WORST POSITION POSSIBLE:THE MUSHY MIDDLE

There is talent in Detroit, and the likes of Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane were added alongside the cadre of drafted players. But year after year, we’ve seen variations of the same story. Recently, it’s been a spring swoon that has doomed Detroit. This season, the Red Wings were tops in the Atlantic Division for much of December and as late as Jan. 25, but a wretched March pushed them back into bubble territory, and April finished them off before the last two games of the campaign.

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What is Yzerman’s responsibility in all of this? He’s the man tasked with making moves to improve the squad on the fly, but he hasn’t exactly been active in recent years. In fact, Larkin was open last season about how demoralized the players were when their GM didn’t make a splash to improve the team at the deadline. Needless to say, they cratered that March, too.

This season wasn’t much different. True, Yzerman acquired 34-year-old defenseman Justin Faulk from St. Louis and brought 37-year-old winger David Perron back to town, but these trades were not blockbusters. Perron had two points through 14 games, while Faulk was getting roughed up by opponents on a pairing with Ben Chiarot.

What Detroit needed was a game-changer. Perhaps Nazem Kadri was always destined to go back to Colorado at the deadline, but what about Vincent Trocheck? The New York Rangers didn’t end up trading the versatile center, who was dynamite at the Olympics for Team USA, but what if Yzerman had made them an offer they couldn’t refuse? Detroit has a slew of prospects and young players. Eventually, you’re supposed to move them for what you need now. Inertia has been Detroit’s biggest enemy. And it’s not going to get any easier next season.

After losing all-world center Aleksander Barkov before 2025-26 began, the Panthers gave an opening to another team in the Atlantic. Detroit was the most obvious candidate to step up, and even with Toronto dropping to the bottom, the Red Wings couldn’t make the dance. Instead, Buffalo stepped up, and Boston got back into the post-season after a one-year slide.

I recognize it’s tricky in Detroit. Yzerman is one of the most important players in franchise history, and he was in the front office when they last won the Cup in 2008. But this can’t go on any longer. Red Wings fans won’t accept another mediocre season, and nor should they. Detroit needs a new plan, and it must start this summer – with or without ‘Stevie Y.’ 

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