Detroit Red Wings lose key piece and fans aren't happy with Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman hasn't always been on the fans' good side since the start of his tenure as executive vice president and general manager of the Wings.

A few of his moves were criticized in the media and even in the locker room, most recently with captain Dylan Larkin at the 2024-25 end-of-season press conference.

However, what he did well is building a deep prospect pool, which was highlighted by Corey Pronman when he ranked the team 11th in the NHL for their prospect pipeline.

Unfortunately, Yzerman is once again facing backlash as he lost a second-round pick in 2020.

On Wednesday, the Dallas Stars signed Cross Hanas to a professional tryout:

Hanas spent the past three seasons in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins and his entry-level contract expired at the end of last season.

Steve Yzerman didn't extend him a qualifying offer earlier this summer and he became an unrestricted free agent, making him available to all teams.

Months later, he's joining a stacked Stars organization on a PTO, and the Wings had nothing in return.

This generated backlash online, with fans calling out Yzerman for his decision:

In this situation, it's hard to blame Yzerman, as we don't know all the details.

Following three seasons in the AHL, where he scored 50 points in total, the player could've asked for a fresh start.

Also, considering the depth in the organization, letting a player leave to give him a shot with another team, freeing up a contract slot and cap space, isn't such a big loss.