Detroit Red Wings

Why Did Steve Yzerman Walk Away from the Red Wings Now?

Steve Yzerman’s exit raises bigger questions in Detroit: what does it mean for the Red Wings, their future, and Dylan Larkin?

by
Old Prof
July 18, 2026

Steve Yzerman stepping down as the Red Wings GM has people asking the same thing: why now? Elliotte Friedman basically frames it as the hockey world changing much faster than front offices can keep pretending they’re in the same era they were in a few months ago. When you look at what Detroit had already been doing—right after the draft, during the start of free agency, while also dealing with the captain situation and even exploring trades—it’s not the “quiet, slow transition” kind of moment.

Friedman’s read is that Yzerman might’ve looked at where the game is going and realized his approach might not fully align with how teams are building now, at least not the way Detroit needs to build going forward.

Yzerman Won’t Disappear and the Red Wings Will Evolve

Friedman also makes a point that Yzerman isn’t just disappearing into the void. The Red Wings can bring in the next person (or people), and Yzerman steps aside cleanly. Friedman hints that this isn’t just personal drama or one bad decision. It’s more like the Red Wings recognize the job has to evolve, and the organization is open-minded about what that evolution looks like.

Although Detroit is obviously a huge, successful franchise, Friedman says the job will still attract plenty of interest because there’s a real path to winning there. He mentions internal candidates like Shawn Horcoff and Kris Draper, and also suggests external interest would include people like Brendan Shanahan. The fact is, the Red Wings job is attractive. They’ll be able to choose whoever fits the future best.

What Might This All Mean for Dylan Larkin?

The bigger impact, though, is what it means for Dylan Larkin. Friedman’s answer is realistic. While the GM shuffle is happening, it’d be surprising to see Detroit trade Larkin in the middle of all this. But Friedman doesn’t pretend it’s impossible. He just thinks it’s much more likely that the process will be paused until the new leadership is in place. Then Detroit would sit down with Larkin and try to make a fresh start in the relationship.

Friedman’s take is that whoever comes in has to ask Larkin if there’s any way to change his mind. The whole point of doing this “new era” thing is to see if it can work out differently than before. So Yzerman stepping down doesn’t automatically solve anything, but Friedman makes it sound like Detroit is trying to reset the direction and give Larkin (and the franchise) the best shot possible once the new leadership is settled.