Steve Yzerman’s run in Detroit is shifting into a different phase.
The Red Wings announced Wednesday that Yzerman has stepped down as Executive Vice President and General Manager and will move into a senior advisor role. Detroit is now beginning its search for a new GM, with Yzerman staying in the process and serving on the committee with team ownership.
The change comes after a long stretch of frustration for the franchise. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for a decade, including all seven seasons under Yzerman’s leadership. The timing has also drawn attention, coming just weeks after captain Dylan Larkin reportedly requested a trade.
Detroit is expected to give internal names serious consideration, with Kris Draper and Shawn Horcoff among the candidates likely to get strong looks. The team could also go outside the organization, especially with several other clubs already filling GM openings earlier in the offseason.
Elsewhere in the league, Anthony Mantha found a new home on a shorter deal than many expected.
After a career-best season with the Pittsburgh Penguins - 33 goals and 64 points - Mantha signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the New Jersey Devils. The term is notably lighter than what he was reportedly seeking, and the market never really got close to his ask.
Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote:
“Mantha let the Penguins know during the regular season that a three-year deal was his starting point for extension talks. The Penguins didn’t want to give him three years or more.
Neither did anyone else, apparently. Penguins probably would have considered bringing Mantha back if they had known that would be the price…”
For New Jersey, the deal is a calculated bet. The contract includes no trade protection, which gives the Devils an easier out if things go sideways. If Mantha clicks, they’ve got a useful scoring piece on a manageable commitment.
The Anaheim Ducks may be heading into another tricky negotiation of their own with Cutter Gauthier.
After Leo Carlsson signed a five-year, $90 million offer sheet that Anaheim matched, expectations around the Ducks’ next big contract have shifted. On the latest Spittin’ Chiclets episode, Keith Yandle said he was “fed a little tidbit” that Gauthier would not accept anything below Carlsson’s $18M AAV. But Jimmy Murphy later wrote, “Confirmed, this is not true!”
Even with that report shot down, Carlsson’s $18 million AAV has changed the conversation. Gauthier is a winger, and centers usually carry the bigger price tag, so matching Carlsson’s number feels unlikely. Still, he’s positioned to land a deal that pushes the Ducks higher than they probably wanted before the offer sheet changed the market.
The Flyers, meanwhile, seem confident they can get two of their own young players signed before things get messy.
According to team sources, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are both expected to agree to new contracts before their arbitration hearings later this month. Drysdale is scheduled for July 20, with Zegras set for July 22, but neither case is expected to actually reach that stage.
Getting both deals done would give Philadelphia some much-needed stability as it continues building out its roster. Some wondered whether the Flyers could become a target after what Briere did, but that concern may fade if Zegras and Drysdale are both locked in before arbitration.
In Other News...
Trevor Zegras Just Reopened A Painful Ducks Debate
Trevor Zegras is back in the conversation around Anaheim in a way that probably feels familiar, and not entirely comfortable. The Ducks already had to deal with the ripple effect of Philadelphias offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, and now Zegras new Flyers contract is forcing another look at how much talent the organization let walk, how much it believed in its own core, and how the rising salary cap keeps changing the price of patience.
Zegras deal also sharpens the debate because it sits in a world where top-end money is getting easier to spend, even on players who still come with real questions. He followed two rough seasons in Anaheim with a much better first year in Philadelphia, but the concerns that shadowed him with the Ducks have not disappeared, especially when it comes to his all-around impact and his ability to drive games at five-on-five. For a player whose shootout skill helped push the Flyers back toward the playoffs, the upside is obvious, and so is the reason Anaheim fans may still be wondering what exactly got away. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Could Get Pulled Into An Unsettling Rangers Rumor
The Rangers search for forward depth has a way of pulling other teams into the conversation, and Anaheim is no exception. New York is reportedly exploring a range of options this offseason as it looks for help up front, whether that comes through trades or signings, and that kind of shopping list naturally sends people scanning for players who can fit in more than one role.
For the Ducks, Frank Vatrano is the name that stands out as the kind of lower-cost piece that could make sense in that market. He has a track record of producing alongside Mika Zibanejad, which gives him a built-in appeal if the Rangers decide they need a familiar scoring option rather than a bigger splash, even as Anaheim keeps its own roster picture in view. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Zegras Is Officially Settled In Philadelphia Now
Trevor Zegras is no longer in limbo, and Philadelphia finally has the kind of long-term answer it was waiting for after bringing him in as a restricted free agent this offseason. The Flyers locked up the 25-year-old forward on a four-year deal with an average annual value of $9.125 million, ending a process that had already reached the arbitration stage and giving the club a clearer picture of its core heading into the next phase.
For the Flyers, the timing matters almost as much as the contract itself. Zegras arrives off a career-best season that reinforced why the front office sees him as more than just a skilled addition, and general manager Daniel Briere made it clear the organization believes the winger can be part of the push to the next level. Now the focus shifts from paperwork to production, with Philadelphia expecting the kind of impact that justified the investment in the first place. [Read more 🡒]