Red Wings Yzerman Says No One is Untouchable

This is where the hard part begins.

“We need to change some things, but it’s not just going to go and get rid of everyone,” Yzerman said.

Red Wings Must Make Changes

Clearly, though, something has to change. Running back the same team that just squandered a 12-point lead in late January and missed the playoffs for a 10th successive season just isn’t going to fly.

That being the case, it isn’t a bumper crop of budding stars that awaits when the UFA class of 2026 becomes available on July 1. Charlie Coyle or Boone Jenner aren’t the No. 2 center the Wings need. Alex Tuch could address the need for a scoring winger, but as the Sabres battle in the playoffs and look to be on the upswing, it seems there’s a path to see him stay in Buffalo.

Certainly, over the summer, Yzerman can revisit the trade talks he had with the New York Rangers regarding Vincent Trocheck. Does Detroit dare roll the dice and make a blockbuster move to add the mercurial Elias Pettersson from Vancouver?

There’s no easy answer in any of these scenarios. So now you get a better understanding of what Yzerman must be considering.

It’s easy to say shake things up. But what if the new concoction winds up leaving an even worse aftertaste than the current flavor of Red Wings?

Yzerman suggested that he is neither optimistic nor pessimistic about what the summer trade market may hold.

“Certainly something that we’re hoping and are open to and looking to address and see if we can’t somehow fill or address some of the positions we’d like to improve upon,” Yzerman said.

There was a definite difference in tone with Yzerman at this year’s season-ending media session. The defiance that was evident a year ago was absent, replaced by a more contrite, contemplative version of Stevie Y.

He knows he needs to upgrade his team. It’s how he can make that happen that remains his perplexing dilemma.

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