Internally, Red Wings Have Few Options

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Steve Yzerman is out as GM of the Detroit Red Wings. That much we know for sure.

Who’s in? Who knows at this point?

What does seem unlikely at this point is that the new GM is already working for the team.

Looking internally at the Detroit front office staff beyond Yzerman and the possibility that the next GM will be an internal hire are limited at best.

Most likely, it would be an unlikely development.

Nicklas Lidstrom, the club’s vice-president of hockey operations, is certainly qualified and knowledgeable enough to fill the role. But he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want a greater role than the one he currently fills. Lidstrom, who lives in Sweden, won’t want to relocate full-time to Michigan.

Kris Draper is an assistant GM and the director of amateur scouting for the team. He’s worked on contracts and done several drafts, so the resume is there. The results, though, certainly aren’t. Hockey people tell DHN Draper is at best a long shot to be the next Detroit GM.

Realistically, the best internal candidate would appear to be assistant GM Shawn Horcoff. He’s been filling his role for four years now. As GM of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s top farm, Horcoff has done everything an NHL GM must do, albeit at a lower level of the game.

Maybe The Red Wings Should Look Elsewhere

It’s been 10 years since the Red Wings played in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Seven of those failing seasons have come on the watch of Yzerman and his lieutenants.

That being the case, does anyone really think that more of the same is the way that the Red Wings should go in naming a new GM?

A fresh set of eyes, a different perspective, and a new direction are what this team needs. It’s time to move on from this decade of failure.

That’s why the new GM should be an external hire.

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