The Detroit Red Wings are facing their tenth consecutive season without a playoff appearance, marking the seventh time under General Manager Steve Yzerman’s tenure. Yzerman left the Tampa Bay Lightning to return to Detroit with the goal of rebuilding the team into a contender, having previously excelled in drafting with the Lightning before their ascent to dominance under new GM Julien BriseBois.
Recent seasons have been particularly painful for the Red Wings. In 2024, they narrowly missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals. This is a stark contrast to their position on January 25th, 2026, when they led the Atlantic Division. Such a decline will undoubtedly be disappointing not only for the fans but also for the players.
There are reports suggesting that some players on the Detroit Red Wings feel Steve Yzerman is too patient.
Steve Yzerman must be feeling the immense pressure in Detroit. While owner Chris Ilitch reportedly maintains loyalty to Yzerman, the prolonged lack of playoff success inevitably raises questions about Yzerman’s future as general manager.
At some point, the Red Wings need to qualify for the playoffs. Their rivals, the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, have made consecutive playoff appearances. Even the Buffalo Sabres have ended their 14-year drought, leaving the Red Wings with the longest active streak of missing the postseason at 10 years. Teams like Ottawa, Philadelphia, Columbus, Boston, and Washington have all surpassed them in the standings.
As discussed by Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Steve Yzerman’s fate with the Detroit Red Wings may hinge on whether he still desires to lead the team.
Elliotte Friedman shared his thoughts: “And we’re going to talk more about these teams in the next pod, as we get some time to process it. But if, I was shocked, I could only imagine what hardcore Red Wings fans are thinking. And to me, the first question is Yzerman. And, we joke about Yzerman on this pod about him, and how we’ve had our run-ins and things like that. But I have an enormous amount of respect for everything he’s accomplished in his life, and I have even more respect for the fact that he doesn’t need to do this.
And he grinds, Yzerman grinds, and he’s won everything that a player could win. He’s won gold medals as a, as an Olympic GM. He’s built the Lightning. He was gone before they started winning Cups, but he built them. He doesn’t need this, but he does it because he’s competitive as heck, and he tries to do it the right way.
Steve Yzerman needs to be more aggressive for the Detroit Red Wings to succeed.
Friedman continued, speculating on Yzerman’s perspective: “And I’m just trying to put myself in his head, and a part of him has got to be saying, like, this is so disappointing. Why do I keep coming back and doing this? And to me, I’m wondering if that’s almost as big a decision as do the Red Wings want to make a change in that spot? And I don’t know, I just, I can’t see him. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would walk away from this. Particularly since it’s really shocking, but that unprotected number one pick. There’s still a chance Detroit could drop a bit here.
You know that pick, if Detroit was to win the lottery, could be a pretty high pick, and it’s just, I don’t think anyone would have thought Detroit would be in that particular position. But how it’s all of a sudden you find yourself in that position. And people are like, ‘Okay, how did this happen?’ I think, to me, that the biggest question with him is, not so much, is he in trouble, but how does he feel about all this?
And I can’t imagine he’d want to walk away. We’ve discussed on this pod, does he kind of bump himself up and promote someone I don’t know? I just, I’ve been thinking about this a lot the past 24 hours, because I think that’s one of the big questions people are asking: is Yzerman in trouble?
NHL Rumors: Will the Detroit Red Wings Consider a General Manager Change?
Friedman concluded: “To me, the more unanswered question is, does any part of him say, I’ve had enough of this? Because of how much he’s burning inside, this happened. He may not be playing, but he feels that disappointment as much as anybody does who’s wearing the jersey.
Questions have also arisen regarding some of Yzerman’s player acquisitions and trades. Notably, the decision to trade an unprotected first-round pick for Justin Faulk, potentially blocking the development of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, has drawn scrutiny. Further compounding the team’s struggles have been poor records in March, injuries to key player Dylan Larkin, and a critical penalty by Patrick Kane against the Minnesota Wild, which ultimately sealed the Red Wings’ playoff fate.
While numerous questions surround the team, the most pressing one, before dissecting the roster, is the future of Steve Yzerman with the Detroit Red Wings.
