Red Wings' 'Yzerplan' coming full circle amidst youth taking full charge

It's single-handedly saving his job as general manager of the Red Wings, as his firing was recently addressed by team owners.

In the past years, Steve Yzerman was widely criticized for his managing style. He was used as the scapegoat for the team's decade-long rebuild far more than he deserved, and now, things could finally turn his way.

Perhaps no one is more satisfied with the way the season has been going than Yzerman.

The Red Wings executive vice president and general manager, who was rumored to be on the hot seat as the team missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season last spring, must be glad to see his players succeed in the NHL and the AHL.

Three rookies started the season in the NHL, including Emmitt Finnie, who's among the best rookies in the league so far, with four goals and four assists in 10 games.

The excitement surrounding Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygaard, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka is truly great to see, but it almost overshadowed something else.

Since he joined the Wings' management team in 2019, Yzerman has kept building the foundations of a strong team.

In the 2019 draft, he drafted Moritz Seider.

The next year, Lucas Raymond and, in 2021, Simon Edvinsson joined the team. Then, in 2022, Marco Kasper was drafted by the Wings.

Seider, Raymond, and Edvinsson have developed into real NHLers who can compete and win against the elite of the NHL.

Yzerman drafted well, and all these players are a big reason for the Wings' success today.

But he kept drafting well later, and the standout prospects not currently in the NHL are lighting up the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

When all the players drafted by Yzerman are ready to play in the NHL, the Wings will have a lot of depth, and the GM will finally get the recognition he deserves.