Steve Yzerman Steps Down as Red Wings GM Sport By lines July 15, 2026 Steve Yzerman is out as Red Wings general manager. Detroit announced the leadership change Wednesday, July 15. Yzerman will shift to a senior adviser role. Seven seasons produced zero playoff berths. The End of the Yzerplan in Detroit The Red Wings announced Yzerman’s exit as general manager and executive vice president. Yzerman will now advise CEO Chris Ilitch. The Ilitch family has owned the Red Wings since 1982. Detroit has launched a search for a new head of hockey operations. Yzerman stays involved until the club names a successor, per NHL.com. The record framed the decision. Detroit missed the playoffs in all seven of Yzerman’s seasons as general manager. The drought now spans 10 years, the longest active streak in the NHL. Detroit last reached the postseason in 2016. Detroit finished outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture again in 2026. Yzerman returned to run the Red Wings in April 2019. Yzerman remains a Detroit icon. Yzerman captained the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups as a player. Yzerman spent 22 seasons with Detroit on the ice. Yzerman then built the Tampa Bay Lightning into a champion as an executive. Yzerman came home in 2019 to rebuild through the draft. The prospect pool improved, yet the wins never followed. Detroit built a young core during the rebuild. Forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider anchor that group. Seider won the Calder Trophy as top rookie in 2022. Detroit owns a deep prospect pool after years of high draft picks. Goaltending has stayed a question in Detroit. The next general manager must turn that talent into a playoff team. The change lands during a tense Detroit offseason. Yzerman’s exit comes amid trade rumors surrounding captain Dylan Larkin. Detroit must now hire a boss to finish the rebuild. Kris Draper is an early internal candidate, per the Detroit News. Draper has run amateur scouting since 2019 and became assistant general manager in 2023. The search will shape Detroit’s next era. Ryan Martin is another candidate, per the Detroit News. Martin works as a Rangers assistant general manager and won two AHL titles at Grand Rapids. Detroit will weigh internal and external names. Chris Ilitch will lead the search, per NHL.com. The next hire inherits Larkin’s future and a decade-long playoff gap. Related Sports Coverage Larkin Requests Trade as NHL Offseason Heats Up NHL Trade Blitz: Byram, Kyrou, Eklund, Nemec Dealt Oilers Hire Mike Babcock as Head Coach Amid Backlash Sources: NHL.com, the Detroit News, and TSN reported Yzerman’s exit and the search for a successor.
