Do Red Wings Players Know What Steve Yzerman is Thinking in Detroit?
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick and was about the situation in Detroit with Dylan Larkin and Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman. Friedman stated it was the first time players questioned Yzerman about his strategy to make the team successful.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Steve Yzerman Has To Be More Aggressive For Detroit Red Wings To Succeed
Scott Laughlin: “I was talking to a buddy of mine , Friedge and he’s a longtime Red Wings fan too. And we’re talking about, obviously, the Shanahan in Toronto, and the Yzerplan in Detroit, and the whole bit. And look it went back just a couple of weeks ago when Dylan Larkin made some comments, and some think they were blown out of proportion. Others think that there was something there. And Larkin came out and said something to the extent that, looking back at the trade deadline, they were hoping for a little bit more help from the front office.
IE Steve Yzerman. And then Yzerman came out, and I think he responded by saying something like, well, the players and the leadership often starts with the players in the dressing room, and they’ve got to go and perform in the whole bit. So number one, what were your thoughts on that Larkin-Yzerman exchange, and in going into the offseason here, how aggressive do you think is Detroit going to be?
Because you would think like the time is now to get back into the playoffs again, to at least be in a position to get back into the postseason, to once again cash your lot.”
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Elliotte Friedman: “I think a couple of things. Number one, I, one thing about Yzerman is I do think he’s not used to that. It’s rare to see that. If you take a look at his history as a manager, I don’t know that’s really happened very much. So I bet you he doesn’t like it. Players want to win, I’m sure on some level, Yzerman looks at it and says, ‘Well, you’re the captain, you have to be more of a difference maker.’
Like that’s what Montreal said to (Nick) Suzuki this year when he was, when they were talking about it, and they were making a run to the playoffs, and Suzuki was asking, out of the Four Nations, what was going to happen. Kent Hughes said to him, Nick, some of this is on you. You’re the captain. You’ve got to lead. And Suzuki took that to heart, and he did it.
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I’m sure, on some level, Yzerman says a bit of that, but I do think he’s not used to being questioned like that. I’m sure he’s not crazy about it. Larkin, he wants to win. Players want to win. And the one thing I do think about Yzerman is he’s very patient. He, he has a price for things. I don’t think it was that Yzerman didn’t try. I just think he looked at it and he said, I’m not doing any of this stuff. And when you’re looking at the big picture, like he’s paid to do, you might understand what you’re doing. Your players might simply say, ‘Where’s our help? Where’s our help?’ And I think that’s exactly what Larkin did.
I don’t necessarily think it’s the only time either that some of Detroit’s players may have wondered, where’s the trade deadline help when they’ve been close. So I’m not sure it’s the first time Larkin or other Detroit players may have thought that. And they just may have felt that Steve’s patient approach is not for them. Like, Larkin’s in the prime of his career. He wants to be in the playoffs.
And, so I would just say this, I think that was shocking to see, because we’re just not used to seeing people question Yzerman like that. I remember, like, another executive team hearing that and going like, oh, like, Yzerman is not going to like it. And I’m sure they met about it, and I’m sure they talked about it, and I’m sure they shared their opinions on it. But I think a lot of players on a lot of teams might have felt the same way, is that we’re not used to seeing Yzerman questioned like that.”
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