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New Details Reveal Steve Yzerman Isn't Fit For Red Wings' GM Job
Photo credit: Grand Rapids Griffins
Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman isn't fit for the role in our opinion if this season is any indication of how the "Yzerplan" is going for the team.
The "Yzerplan" must not continue for the Detroit Red Wings. The team is 32-31-6 and 6th in the Atlantic Division this season.
The Yzerplan was sold to us on a silver platter with the hopes that the former two-time Stanley Cup champion, and Red Wings legend would be able to replicate the successes he found in Tampa Bay with the Lightning.
However, we're more than half a decade into the Red Wings rebuild after he took over from former GM Ken Holland. It seems the results haven't been much better if we're being honest.
The Red Wings contender status is nonexistent. Draft picks like Lucas Raymond, Mortiz Seider, Marco Kasper, Sebastian Cossa, and Simon Edvinsson have trickled into the team over time.
But even as his 1st-round picks have found spots in the lineup in the AHL or NHL, the big club is no better or worse than they have been and remains on the fringe of playoff contention, hunting for a wild card spot.
Yzerman has spent capital on veterans like Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, and Erik Gustafsson in an attempt to repair a busted blue line.
Which has yet to recover with the veterans acquired help. At even strength this season this Red Wings team has a miserable 47.71 XGF%. A sign they don't control the ice at even strength when they have the puck, which means fewer shots on the goal, and fewer chances to score.
As it turns out, hiring your friends and family (good old-fashioned Nepotism) doesn't equal success in the NHL.
These are names we can blame for the failed signings and trades for veterans in the lineup:
His record with the Red Wings as of this moment in 442 games as GM is 176-216 with an .455 winning percentage.
Why Is He Still GM?
Perhaps the only reason why Mike Illitch keeps him around is due to nostalgia and recency bias on his part.
Has Yzerman ridden the Tampa Bay Lightning championships into a secure job as GM of the Red Wings erroneously?
His prospect pool was ranked 5th overall by The Athletic, which doesn't say much considering they're now trickling into the system, while veteran placeholders seem to reign supreme.
The winning culture isn't here.
They're 5 points out of a playoff spot at the moment, as the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders all remain ahead of them in the Eastern Conference.
If he didn't have the backing of Illitch you'd think he'd have been a goner like Ken Holland before him.
| POLL | ||
MARS 23 | 329 ANSWERS New Details Reveal Steve Yzerman Isn't Fit For Red Wings' GM Job Should Owner Chris Illitch of the Detroit Red Wings fire GM Steve Yzerman? | ||
| Yes | 111 | 33.7 % |
| No | 218 | 66.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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