Detroit Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch has provided another explanation for his decision to remove Steve Yzerman as general manager, and according to the team’s owner, the move wasn’t even being considered earlier this year.
Speaking with reporters Thursday before Detroit’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ilitch explained how a promising season turned into an organizational review that ultimately ended Yzerman’s seven-year run as GM.
And while the decision stunned plenty of Red Wings fans, Ilitch insists it became necessary.
Chris Ilitch Explains Decision to Remove Steve Yzerman
During Thursday’s media availability, Ilitch pointed to Detroit’s position in the standings last January as evidence that a leadership change was far from his mind.
“In January of last season, our team was first in our division, and we were fourth in the NHL,” Ilitch said. “A leadership change was not on my radar whatsoever.”
But everything changed when Detroit stumbled down the stretch and ultimately missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a 10th consecutive season.
Ilitch explained that the disappointing finish prompted him to conduct a thorough organizational review. That process included evaluating Yzerman’s accomplishments and determining whether Detroit needed a different approach moving forward.
Ilitch acknowledged that Yzerman had improved the organization considerably from the one he inherited in 2019. However, he concluded that the NHL had evolved and that the Red Wings had an opportunity to benefit from new leadership.
He described removing Yzerman as a difficult but necessary decision.
The latest explanation reinforces what we previously covered about Ilitch’s decision to move on from Yzerman, although Thursday’s comments came with the Red Wings facing even greater scrutiny.
Ilitch Is Focused on Finding Yzerman’s Replacement
Nearly three months after Yzerman was removed, Detroit still hasn’t named a permanent leader of hockey operations.
Ilitch made it clear Thursday that he isn’t going to rush the process simply to satisfy frustrated fans.
According to his latest comments about the ongoing search, a new hire could arrive during the season or potentially not until the season concludes.
For now, Shawn Horcoff remains Detroit’s interim general manager, and Ilitch has expressed confidence in his performance. As we recently discussed while examining Horcoff’s future, the uncertainty surrounding the front office has left several important organizational decisions hanging in the balance.
Ilitch wants an innovative leader capable of building a championship-caliber organization in the modern NHL. Whether his eventual selection can deliver that vision remains the biggest question facing the franchise.
For Red Wings fans, however, explanations about Yzerman’s dismissal will only go so far. After a decade without playoff hockey, they want results, and Ilitch’s next hire could determine how much longer they have to wait.