Is Horcoff Going to Be the Red Wings GM by Default?

On Tuesday, 31 NHL GMs and the Detroit Red Wings representative gathered via Zoom for a league-wide meeting.

According to reports, it was assistant GM Shawn Horcoff who represented the Red Wings on the call.

Word is that he might want to grow accustomed to filling that role.

Detroit Hockey Now contacted several NHL sources, including people who should know if the Red Wings were on the verge of making an outside hire to replace Steve Yzerman as GM.

No one DHN spoke with was able to say with absolute certainty that it was imminent that someone from another NHL club would soon be making the move to take over the vacant Red Wings GM’s chair. In fact, DHN couldn’t find anyone within the game who could verify that outside candidates had even been interviewed for the position.

Does that mean it definitely didn’t happen? No, it does not.

What we do know is that hockey, like all pro sports, is a very insular world. Hockey people gossip like TV housewives.

When something big is about to happen, word gets out.

There have been no leaks about the Detroit GM position involving candidates from other NHL teams. We do know that Red Wings assistant GM Kris Draper has been informed that he isn’t getting the job.

On Monday, Detroit Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg withdrew his name from consideration for the position.

There have been outside names mentioned in connection with the job. Jeff Kealty from the San Jose Sharks.

Brett Peterson of the Florida Panthers.

There were published reports suggesting that Kealty was telling people he never interviewed for the Detroit job. And there’s no definitive proof that Peterson did, either.

So what does it all mean?

Say hello to Horcoff as Red Wings GM?

At this juncture, that might be the wisest course of action. The Wings could even give it to Horcoff on an interim basis for one year, and then begin the search for a GM anew next offseason.

If the Wings were planning on putting someone new in charge this close to the season, wouldn’t they have done it by now? Then again, if Horcoff were their first choice, wouldn’t he have been appointed by now?

In their summer of discontent, the Red Wings have managed to alienate their captain, remove a franchise icon as GM, and then not come up with a plan to replace him.

And now, time has just about run out.

Even if it is the default option, going with Horcoff might be their only option.