The Red Wings' general manager search has one real problem, and it's one they built themselves: they never got in the game early enough to win it.
Steve Yzerman stepped down as GM on July 15, 2026, moving into a role as senior adviser to CEO Chris Ilitch. That started the hunt for a new head of hockey operations. As of early August, there's still no hire. John Shannon of Sportsnet says the search "may not be rectified until September." He added that he was told "it's going to take a lot longer than people realize" and that "we're not talking about an imminent hiring."
Look at the calendar and the problem is obvious. Most GM searches start in mid-April, right after the season ends, when the whole market of ambitious executives is open. Detroit didn't start until mid-July. By then, the good chairs were taken.
Sunny Mehta is running the New Jersey Devils now. Chris MacFarland took the president of hockey operations job in Nashville. Those were two of the most coveted names on this cycle's market, and both were gone before Detroit even opened its process. You can't interview a candidate who already has a corner office somewhere else. The Wings put themselves on the clearance rack, and they did it by choice.
Then there's the part that should bother Detroit fans most. According to The Athletic's Max Bultman, Yzerman isn't expected to be involved in hockey decisions under the next front office. The framing is that this gives the incoming boss clean authority over the roster, the scouting department, the development plan, and the relationship with coach Todd McLellan. Fine. There's a real argument for giving a new leader full control.
But consider what that means right now. The man who built this roster is walking the halls in what Shannon called a "maintenance position," while the person who'll actually run hockey operations doesn't exist yet. So who's deciding anything? Ilitch is leading a search committee, with Ilitch Sports and Entertainment president Ryan Gustafson involved. That works for hiring a GM, but it's no substitute for having one.
And the work keeps piling up. Captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade in early June, and as of late July there was no sign he'd pulled it back. He has five years left on the eight-year, $69.9 million contract he signed with Detroit on March 1, 2023. Simon Edvinsson's extension is unresolved. Alex DeBrincat, the team's top scorer last season with 41 goals, is entering a contract year with no talks underway. DeBrincat says he wants to stay: "We're still a little bit far away from even having those (contract) conversations, but this is my home." Every one of those decisions is waiting on a person Detroit hasn't hired.
McLellan, hired December 26, 2024, is the one left holding the bag. He may open camp not knowing whether his captain will be in the room, and without a boss who can make a final call on anything. That's paralysis dressed up as process, not patience.
The maddening twist: Bultman also reported that no other team is currently searching for a GM, which is exactly why Detroit feels no rush. Ownership has read the room and decided there's no outside pressure, so why hurry? That logic holds up right until you realize the cost of taking your time isn't measured against rival searches. It's measured against your own calendar. Camp is coming whether the front office is ready or not.
The candidate chatter, as of early August, is thin and speculative. Insider Jeff Marek has called the process "really, really sealed up." Brendan Shanahan, the former Red Wings player who ran the Toronto Maple Leafs, has surfaced as a name, with internal candidates like Shawn Horcoff and Kris Draper getting a look. Marek says there's nothing connecting Jim Rutherford to the job, so cross that one off. Any of those hires could work out. That's not the point.
The point is that Detroit had a chance to run this like a contender that respects its own timeline. Instead it dithered into August with a captain who wants out, a top scorer in a contract year, and a coach staring at an empty office above him. Ilitch himself admitted, "Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization." He's right. He's also describing a mess his own front office chose to drag out.
Make the hire. Then find out whether September was worth the wait. My bet is it wasn't.
