The Red Wings still do not have a general manager, and at this point in the offseason there’s no sign the search is moving fast.
Hockeytown has been without anyone in the executive chair for just over a month now, following Steve Yzerman’s abrupt departure. Since then, the club has stayed quiet, offering few clues about where it intends to go next. With hockey activities set to resume at the professional level in a little more than a month, the front office picture remains unsettled.
There’s also some reason to think this could take a while. Around the league, the Colorado Avalanche are operating under former general manager and current President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic, and they’ve been similarly slow to reveal much about their own search after parting ways with Chris MacFarland earlier this offseason when he became the general manager and president in Nashville. If that pace is any indication, Detroit may be looking at a long wait of its own - and could even wind up in the same hiring cycle as Colorado for the next general manager.
While that remains unresolved, the Red Wings have started single-game ticket sales for Little Ceasar’s Arena.
The current high end for the schedule is Detroit’s March 20 game against the Canadiens, where the get-in price is listed at $96 on TickPick. At the other end of the range, the home dates against the Penguins and Flyers are the cheapest available, both starting at $23. The home opener on Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers is sitting at a starting price of $53.
Elsewhere in the organization, the Toledo Walleye have been active. The Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate added forward Jason Wilms and defensemen Jack Duff and Campbell Cichosz, and the Griffins signed goaltender Johnathan Lemieux to a two-way contract.
Toledo’s social media team also hinted that more announcements are coming this week, though it remains to be seen whether the next reveal will be another player.
In Other News...
Red Wings Debate Around Yzerman Just Got Much More Uncomfortable
Steve Yzerman has had seven years to reshape the Red Wings, and the broad outline of his tenure is impossible to miss: a revered franchise figure returned home, a long rebuild began, and the playoff drought kept stretching into a second decade. Detroit has tried to trust the process through draft picks, patience and a familiar belief in roster construction, but the results have left the conversation around the front office increasingly uneasy.
What makes the debate more uncomfortable now is not just the lack of progress, but the questions around how the team has chosen to progress. Yzermans reluctance to swing big on trades or fully lean into youth and analytics has become part of the critique, especially when compared with other teams that have moved faster in different directions. With the Red Wings still searching for a way out of their current cycle, the possibility that ownership could eventually want a different management path hangs over everything. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Bigger Dylan Larkin Problem Than Expected
The Dylan Larkin conversation has taken an unexpected turn for Detroit, because the Red Wings are not just weighing the captains value in the abstract anymore. Trade talks have stalled while the organization searches for a new general manager, which means the kind of front-office clarity needed to push a major deal forward simply is not there yet. For a team that has already spent plenty of time trying to define its next step, that delay only adds another layer to an already delicate situation.
In practical terms, it leaves Detroit in a holding pattern on one of the most important names in the room. Larkin remains central to everything the Red Wings do, and the longer the GM search drags on, the harder it becomes to imagine any real traction on a possible move. The market may still exist, but for now the discussion is stuck, and the uncertainty around the job opening may end up mattering just as much as the player at the center of it. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Goalie Move Just Changed More Than Detroits Depth Chart
The Red Wings have spent the offseason reshaping a roster that already had some moving parts, and the newest goalie addition is part of that broader reset. Detroit signed Daniil Tarasov to join John Gibson in the crease, giving the club another experienced option after a stretch in which Tarasov was pushed into a larger role with the Florida Panthers because of injuries. He has mostly been a backup through his career, but the Wings appear set to use him in the familiar job behind Gibson while also keeping an eye on the rest of the depth chart.
What makes the move more interesting is the ripple effect it could have for the rest of Detroits goaltending picture. Michal Postavas place on the roster is suddenly less clear, and the club is now carrying a crowded mix of options that could force more decisions before long. For a team trying to find stability in net, this was never just about adding another goalie. [Read more 🡒]