The Detroit Red Wings have been trying to get back into the playoffs for the past few seasons. If the Wings do not make it back in soon, Steve Yzerman’s time in Detroit could very well be running out.
Steve Yzerman has been with the Detroit Red Wings as general manager since April of 2019. During the four seasons since he has joined the Red Wings have finished outside of the playoffs and near the bottom of the standings every year, their best season was this past year when they finished with a record of 35-37-10 good enough for a .488 point percentage. However that was still not good enough to make the playoffs.
The Red Wings have not been in the playoffs since 2015-16. That is the second longest playoff drought behind only the Buffalo Sabres, and unless they make the playoffs this upcoming season Steve Yzerman could very well be on the way out of Detroit.
Time might be running out for Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings
Steve Yzerman did have a very successful run with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He helped build out the roster that would eventually win back to back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. But he had been with the organization since May of 2010. So, it took his team 10 years to win the ultimate prize.
The Red Wings are starting to look like they have a better lineup. With Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin and JT Compher the Red Wings do have a lot of offensive talent, and defensively Moritz Seider looks like an elite defenseman in the making.
With all that said, the Red Wings were no where near the playoffs this past season. There are a lot of teams trying to contend right now and on paper the Red Wings just do not have a better team than the Bruins, Lightning or Maple Leafs.
Even the wild card race does not favor the Red Wings with the Penguins improving their roster this offseason and the Panthers looking to build off their Stanley Cup Final run. While Steve Yzerman did build a great team in Tampa Bay, the Yzerplan might be running out of time.