Red Wings Overall Rebuild Grade: C+
Core: B-
Overall Roster: C+
Prospect Pool: B+
Head Coach & General Manager: B
Red Wings Trust The Yzerplan: It’s Starting to Show Shortcomings
Everyone in Motown had high hopes for the “Yzerplan” under Steve Yzerman. The Red Wings legend built the Tampa Bay Lightning into a model franchise, was poised to do the same thing in his front office return to Detroit. He was hired in the 2019 offseason, and six years later, the Red Wings are in the same spot while other rebuilding teams in their division passed them by.
The shortcomings of Yzerman explain the Red Wings’ rebuild and why it hasn’t gotten off the ground. The big first thing is that he played it safe. He landed NHL talent in the draft but didn’t select the high-risk/high-reward players. In baseball terms, he got on base when he needed at least one or two home runs. Yzerman also never made a blockbuster move to put this team in the playoff picture. He’ll add at the trade deadline but not with a major move. In the offseason, the biggest trade he made was acquiring Alex DeBrincat, a good but not great player.
Good but not great is what stands out with the core. Dylan Larkin, Debrincat, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Simon Edvinsson are good players to build around. None of them are stars who can take over games. This wouldn’t be a problem if the Red Wings had depth but despite Yzerman building up the farm system, the team lacks depth and hasn’t had much of it since they pair Larkin and the rest of the core players.
What separates Yzerman’s tenure with the Lightning from his current run with the Red Wings is the moves behind the bench. A great GM knows how to find the right coach to lead a team to the Cup. He hired Jon Cooper when he was with the Lightning but has gone through three head coaches with the Red Wings.
Then there’s some bad luck. Yzerman was lucky that world-class goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was with him in Tampa. He’s struggled to find reliable goaltending since. The hope is that John Gibson is the answer this time around.
Outsider’s Perspective
It’s easy to look at the Red Wings at the end of their rebuild, after all, they’ve come close to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. And that’s what the public perception is of the Red Wings. “They have Seider, Edvinsson, Kasper, Augustine, and Raymond, and with DeBrincat and Larkin, they should be pushing for playoff spots. However, it’s just behind the Senators and Canadiens, so they need to figure out how to get ahead of them. Draft picks probably aren’t the answer now, though.”
The Bottom Line
There’s a lot of pressure on Yzerman to get this team to the playoffs. They were close last season but saw the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, two rebuilding teams in their division, make it to the playoffs instead. Eventually, patience will wear thin, and that’s why the Red Wings, who will have a good roster next season, need to make a move to put them over the top. Yzerman must take a swing and hope it pays off.
