Elliotte Friedman reveals worrying Red Wings problem that has left organization ‘shocked'
Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Elliotte Friedman says the Red Wings were shocked by how hard it's become to get people to want to play for or work for them.
The Detroit Red Wings are dealing with something bigger than a rough finish to their season.
According to Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts, the organization has been shocked by how difficult it has become to convince people they even want to be part of it.
Friedman put it bluntly, saying the Red Wings have been shocked and surprised at getting people to want to play for them or be there, and that the question now facing management is explaining how the franchise gets back to being a place where people want to play.
Re Red Wings management search: "I think the biggest thing is...[Detroit] have been shocked and surprised at getting people to want to play for them, or be there; explain to us how we can get back to being...where people wanna play for us."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
A season that ended in freefall
Detroit closed out the year at 41-31-10 for 92 points, good enough to stay in the playoff conversation for most of the season before a brutal 2-6-2 stretch to close things out buried them.
They finished sixth in the Atlantic Division with a minus-17 goal differential, well outside the postseason picture.
That collapse is part of why Steve Yzerman has moved from his role running hockey operations into a senior advisor position, with the next general manager reporting directly to ownership instead of him.
Friedman has already floated names like Brett Peterson, Jeff Kealty, Shawn Horcoff and Kris Draper as candidates the Red Wings have been circling.
The bigger question is about culture, not personnel
Friedman's comments suggest this search is not just about finding someone to make trades or run the draft table.
It is about restoring the kind of reputation that once made Detroit a place free agents and prospects actively wanted to sign with.
Dylan Larkin remains at the center of it all.
He is coming off a season with 34 goals and 33 assists on a $8.7 million cap hit, and how much talent the Red Wings can attract around him may depend entirely on whether this search fixes the deeper problem Friedman just described.
Training camp opens September 17, giving Detroit less than three weeks to figure out who is steering the ship.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Oilers linked to 6-foot-4 Alberta native as potential PTO addition
Oilers linked to 6-foot-4 Alberta native as potential PTO addition