Who is minding the store? That’s what Detroit Red Wings fans want to know as their team has gone dark since the team parted ways with GM Steve Yzerman.
In their July 15 media release announcing the change, it was stated that Yzerman was handling the day-to-day management duties until a successor has been found.
But fans are wondering if that is occurring and, if it is, does Yzerman have authority to make decisions? Or does he have to receive permission from CEO Chris Ilitch to do anything? That’s important because it’s only 51 days until the start of training camp (Sept.
17-20), and the team remains heavily favored to miss the playoffs.
With Dylan Larkin trade talks at a standstill, the Red Wings clearly need to find more scoring. Is anyone working the phones?
At one point, after the preferred Stanley Cup contenders called, other teams were calling with general offers for Larkin in case he expanded his trade list. Is Yzerman or anyone else engaging in those calls?
At one point, the Red Wings were linked to possibly signing Seattle UFA Eeli Tolvanen. He would add more physical play and perhaps 15 more goals. Are those talks continuing?
Are the Red Wings still working to re-sign defenseman Simon Edvinsson? That seems like it should be a priority, especially with the threat of an offer sheet hanging in the air. The Red Wings also still have to sign goalie Carter Gylander, not insignificant when you consider how often goalies are injured during the course of a season.
The training camp schedule is probably already mapped out. It’s really coach Todd McLellan’s decision about what goes on there. But the Red Wings-hosted rookie tournament is making a comeback this year (Sept.
12-15) with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars agreeing to come to Detroit. That is a better option for those teams than Traverse City because of travel, expenditure and quality of the facilities.
Can we assume that the Red Wings group is making the final preparations to make sure that event goes smoothly?
In fairness to Yzerman, even if he is working tirelessly to serve the franchise until his final day in the GM chair, we wouldn’t know about it. He has always preferred to do the job without letting anyone know what he is doing. Even in the best of times, and that is certainly not now, information about what was happening behind the curtain is scarce.
Has Interview Process Started?
But fans have concerns because they can’t feel, or sense, the urgency in hiring a new general manager. It’s been 13 days since Yzerman met with Chris Ilitch and left without his GM title.
Oddly, we have not heard the usual search chatter about teams granting permission to interview, people pulling out of consideration, those who have interviewed and those coming back for a second interview.
Before John Chayka was hired as Toronto’s general manager, we heard the names of every ambitious managerial aspirant in North America. Scott White. Ryan Martin.
Mike Gillis. Sunny Mehta. Evan Gold.
You can name 20 more and still miss a couple.
President and CEO of PBI Sports Neil Glasberg ran the search firm, and he said the number of legitimate applicants was “north of 25.”
Names aren’t revealed by the team doing the hiring. It usually comes from the candidates, team officials granting permission to interview employees, or people bragging about how their friend or relative landed an interview.
Even a team like the Red Wings, working to keep their deliberations private, cannot prevent some names from being leaked.
Some fans are worried that there are no names being mentioned means the search still has a long way to go.
Neither Ilitch (nor Yzerman) has spoken with the media to explain why Yzerman was out after he was in charge of the draft and free agent signings. We don’t know what kind of general manager that Ilitch wants to hire. Does he want a big name like his late father always did?
Does he want a younger GM with a more modern approach? The Detroit Tigers are stressing analytics with their hires. Is that going to happen with the Red Wings?
But what the fans want to know most is the timeline for the search. They want to see the new person in place with the time to make an impact before training camp, if that is even possible?
The Red Wings have a right to conduct business as they see fit. But this is a business dependent upon the loyalty of fans. You would think that someone in the chain of command would explain how long they anticipate the search will take and whether the Red Wings are really open for business while this is going on.
After missing the playoffs for 10 seasons, you owe fans some reassurance and a small measure of transparency. It should be a priority to free your fan base from worry.
Detroit fans deserve to hear from the man behind the curtain.