Steve Yzerman provided the most candid and emotional press conference since he’s arrived. He focused early on the trade deadline. Yzerman expressed how he has no issue with trading players and picks to accelerate the rebuild but was ‘comfortable’ not doing so at the deadline considering the prices. He and McLellan both emphasized it’s on the players and leaders to improve the morale, and not on who is not here. Westlund and Scarpace have been let go. #LGRW
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32 Comments
Yzerman made two good GM moves this year. He hired McLellan and he traded Husso and his big contract freeing up cap space for this summer or for the trade deadline. The 2nd move was neutralized when Yzerman traded for Mrazek and his equally bloated contract. If he really believes that this roster was good enough to make the playoffs why did he not make a move at the trade deadline to improve our team. No one wanted a rental, many of the players acquired at the deadline are in multi year contracts. When it comes to players who are focused on personal stats Kane is the perfect role model. We do not all agree that Kane is positive influence in the locker-room.
"Im not afraid to trade any asset to make the team better"…
Yup, and four of those "questionable" trades are still in the playoffs with their teams and contributing. Ghost, Perron, Walman. Namesntikov.
At least we got Tarasenko, right?
Theres the Yzerplan lovers, those who idolize a man who wore the C and led his team to two Stanley cups. The same man who built a great team in Tampa Bay. But Detroit is not Tampa Bay. Larkin is frustrated, his career is winding down. Look for him to ask to be traded to a team that has a shot at the playoffs next year, and he'll be playing good while the Wings are golfing again next April.
Is Chris Illitch gonna open his wallet for bigger talent? Whose going to wear the C next season? Stevie can get angry now all he wants, if he'd gotten this angry last November, we'd have made the playoffs. Win? Nah, but the Walman trade and waiting till Christmas to dump Lalonde proves to me that Stevie and his staff are almost desperately scrambling to find good talent. I love Stevie, he did what he had to do to win as a player, he did what he had to do in Tampa, but there's a difference between Tampa's ownership and Chris Illitch. You can bet if Mike were still alive, the team would be on its way to the second round by now.
Maybe we can trade Tarasenko, Holl and Petry for a goalie who can handle more than 35 games.
Stevie's free agent signing have been beyond bad. He will never sign a big free agent like Marner. It was the vets that he brought in stink.
The lot of you Armchair GM's would be laughed out of the room with your delusional takes.
I understand why Dylan is frustrated but as a captain he should of handled it differently. He also really fell off after the 4 nations, Raymond also fell off during the same period. Cossa is not playing great right now, he gave up four goals again and got pulled.
Everyone talks about Larkin’s comments. It’s naive to think they didn’t talk about issues at exit interviews if not before too. What happens privately needs to stay private and Larkin breached that, spurning Yzerman’s saying ask Dylan if he wants to share their conversation.
Time for Steve to put up or shut up. We have some overpaid mediocre centers and goalies no better than traffic cones. Only way this team will get any better is if Yzerman is aggressive in upgrading the roster. Can’t wait another 2-3 years for prospects
I’d argue Montreal and Ottawa have better talent than the Wings.
The ultimate pressure on Larkin is always living in Yzermans shadow.
The one thing everybody on these sites including Brian and Scotty seem to keep glossing over, Is that Yzerman flat out stated that these veterans signings that he has done , were literally patches. He actually called them patches. Finally, S.Y. straight up called them patches….Whose purpose it is to patch the team….Plus, make it palatable enough until the real core is developed in the minor leagues. Guys like Andrew Copp, etc. we're not a bad deal. They were patches; guys like Chiarot are patches. I've been saying this and saying this on everyone of these blog sites that I can type on, for at least the last five years. For some reason you all can't seem to understand or hear or figure this out. Alex D. was one of the only Young veterans that they signed who was not a patch. He was a long-term, veteran scoreer; and at the right age. This is what S.Y. told the media when he signed him. Hence, people need to read between the lines a little more and use your brain. I hope this helps, so we don't have to keep whining and complaining about it !
If the owners interfere w/ trades and FA they can go to…
I look at what Suzuki did in Montreal. Rather than complaining about not getting help, he prevented guys being sold off & told coaches & the GM not to sell anyone, that they would get into the playoffs. And as their captain, he led them there, pushed them. And that lockerroom responded & worked their butts off. That is the example Larkin needs to take note of & emulate.
Larkin should be traded to the Canadiens for a couple of 1st round picks and Xhekaj. Get rid of him while he has value.
Read Yzerman fired and almost sh## myself what😭😂
Sounds like a GM who refuses to take accountability for his failures. Nice tantrum yzerscam
Larkin can’t motivate players like Holl to be better when they’re not good enough to be in the nhl.
This is all on Yzerman terrible free agent signing was horrendous any one that trus to blame Larkin or any team captain for bad GM signings is an idiot including these dudes that do locked on the wings pod cast.
Yzerman is terrible at signing and drafting tough north American hockey players that thrive in March and the play offs.
I would pass on reviewing the grifs first game. Not a great one.
Nathan Mackinnon went thru this in Colorado before he won, saying in a presser that he’s tired of losing, larkin is in the same position i feel like, he was tasked with being the leader of the wings literally the moment he was drafted, and he had already lived thru a core build up and tear down when we had mantha bertuzzi athanasiou etc.
It is completely understandable that larkin is not happy, and i also see yzermans POV, it takes time to build something sustainable, yzerman is not trying to do too much, he did ALOT in the beginning, he delt with it well, a few years later after being one of the worst teams to close out the 2010’s we are on the cusp of being a playoff team, we have a ton of great prospects, things are turned around from when yzerman got here…..should we have made the playoffs this season? Yeah, this is a playoff team, but the coaching change in December had a big impact on how this team played and that whole “coach change mid season = playoffs” thing didnt work in our favor but our offense flourished when we had the change, and now McClellan has a whole offseason to prepare this team to win, it will happen, it sucks to lose, it always will, but the process has been working, thats why im still on board with the yzerplan.
the problem is there is a disconnect between the GM and coaches. Yzerman said himself, he drafts players nad the coaches coach, which is fair. but look at the lions, the GM and cpach are literally in lockstep in what players they want to bring in. Yzerman just does what he thinks is best.
I loved that he has called out players saying he expects more
People forget that when Tampa got over the hump to get into the playoffs, Yzerman was not scared to get rid of players to make the team better, but it had to make sense. He traded out Martin St. Louis who was still arguably Tampa's best player and captain at that time to the Rangers (I forgot the return on the trade though). It was seen as a crazy move, but that set in motion the plans that ultimately took Tampa to the finals and winning back to back cups. Like Brad Holmes, Yzerman will not make a move just to make a move. He will only make a move it makes sense and makes the team better. These water cooler GM's who whine and complain every move Yzerman makes don't know .001% of hockey compared to Yzerman.
In Yzerman’s defence, it’s not his fault the team went on two seven game heaters yet still collapsed in March. The issue’s mentality. These guys need to learn how to keep that ice in their veins all year long. This year’s team was good enough to make a wildcard spot.
– 10,000 aura for Steve
Face it Stevie, you screwed up last offseason and we took a step backwards. This season is playoffs or you are history.
Yzerman and Mclellan left me feeling optimistic. Liked the presser for the most part.
I think you guys misunderstood McClellan. He wasn't saying that our guys are focused on their point totals instead of winning. He's pointing out that if you treat the goal of every shift as a pursuit of the next goal, you can put yourself in a bad situation. Even in the defensive zone, players can be making decisions that they think will make it more possible to score a goal. He's saying that they need to be able to recognize when scoring a goal is not an option and their decisions need to serve some other aspect of the game.
Can we all agree, though that Helene’s first question was completely asinine why she gets to ask any questions anymore or be part of the press is beyond me
Yzerman is incompetent. Hakan Andersson and his team are some of the only bright spots of this organization since 2019.
What so you guys make of the Walman comment?? What did he do?
Yzerman sounded like a petulant child answering “no and no” to the question about the Jake Walman situation. Like really dude? Just say you made what you thought was the right move at the time and be done with it. No need to be a jerk to reporters asking a legitimate fair question. It came off as him not wanting to admit he made a mistake.
"Patrick Kane is, for the most part, a positive asset, a 60 point guy, power play…"
Kane played at a 30+ goal, 90 point pace from the coaching change on. He had 16/29/45 in his last 42 games. He led the team in points per 60 and points per game from Dec 29 (first game after they practiced under McLellan) on. He led the team in 5v5 points per game from Dec 14 on, a period of over 50 team games. He led the team in GWG for the 2nd year in a row, OT winners for the 2nd year in a row, plus had a shootout winner (his 4th w the Wings). He was +3 at 5v5, second among forwards only to Cat (+4 at 5v5). Over the last 2 seasons Kane is +5 at 5v5 for a bad 5v5 team, despite often being stuck w JT Compher at center.
The Wings led something like 81-38 this year when Kane was on the ice and both teams had a goalie in. He was 2nd to DeBrincat by a hair in all situations GF% for the second straight season. Last year he led Det in points per 60 and 5v5 goals per 60.
His 5v5 analytics from the coaching change on were among team best, and after 4 Nations were about team best. His all situations analytics after the coaching change were team best. His 5v5 lines w DeBrincat were the team's real top line from Dec 14 on whenever they were together. With 4 different centers. Larkin does nothing at 5v5 for months, suddenly he's put w Cat/Kane late for a few games and they're getting breakaway goals and chances every game.
Kane had 17 points in 14 games in March to lead the team. Next best was 11 points. He stepped up majorly in every big game down the stretch, at Ottawa, at Montreal, in the outdoor game, and was clearly the best player on the ice and dominant analytically and by the eye test, whenever it really mattered. Go check his 5v5 on ice analytics at Ottawa and at Montreal in those late season games. No opponent all year was scared of Larkin or Raymond or their lines, not even when they had Cat (w Cat they lost 13-8). But opponents were terrified of the Cat/Kane line at various times from mid December on, and especially post 4 Nations. And they were terrified of Kane on the power play. Ray or Mo or Cat handles it, or even Dylan, and it's normal play. You defend it, it's dangerous or not, but it's normal. Nobody's scared. Kane handles it w time on the power play and you see fear, and then you see Kane justify their fear. It was Pat running the power play thru himself after the coaching change that made it the deadliest unit in the league and dragged the team to 7-1 and out of the hole.
So, yes, "for the most part, a positive asset."
Larkin is looking for the exit and you can bet after running his mouth to the press he will not be around come fall. Can't blame him.