Detroit Red Wings: All Eyes are on Steve Yzerman this off-season
By Cory Mello
Steve Yzerman spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings; he’s poised for what surely will be a hectic offseason as the new GM in Hockeytown.
Well, Steve Yzerman is back! When Yzerman stepped down as the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, rumors began to swirl in Detroit almost instantaneously. It turns out those rumors were true, as Steve Yzerman is now officially the GM of the Detroit Red Wings.
Yzerman takes over for his former mentor Ken Holland. Yzerman worked under Holland nearly immediately after his playing days came to an end. At the time the Detroit Red Wings had Ken Holland in place with Jim Nill waiting in the Wings. An opportunity came up in Tampa Bay that was too good for Steve to pass up. He felt it would be a long time before he would get a chance to become the Wings General Manager.
He did a tremendous job rebuilding the Lightning. He was able to land Kucherov along with Point in the second and third rounds of the NHL Entry Level Draft. Both players were 41 goal scorers last season. Yzerman wasn’t afraid to move on from veteran goaltender Ben Bishop because he felt he drafted a perfect replacement. He bought out the long-term deal of team captain and fan favorite Vincent Lecavalier. These are some of the bold decisions that have to give Wings fans hope and excitement moving forward.
Expectations will run high, and Yzerman seems to understand that already. With the expectations comes reality, and the Red Wings are still far away from a cup contending team. Yzerman has already preached the need for patience as he embarks his journey as the newly appointed GM of the Detroit Red Wings.
In this article, I take a look at the long laundry list of items Steve Yzerman will need to address this off-season, along with a few options the former captain should consider signing during the free agency period to help the franchise better themselves.