Steve Yzerman says Red Wings 'need to change some things.' Will he?

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As the Red Wings’ general manager met with reporters Thursday for the first time since his team unraveled after the trade deadline, Yzerman acknowledged the need for change. But he stopped short of committing to any specific path toward achieving it. “We need to change some things,” Yzerman said. “But (we’re) not just gonna go and get rid of everyone. But there needs to be some very blunt conversations with some of our players, and challenge them to do more and be better to get there. But ultimately, again, we need to surround them with more talent. And having said that, we still need more from some of our very key players.” The issue, of course, is not simply recognizing the need for change or for more talent. Those problems are clear, as Detroit now owns the league’s longest active playoff drought. The bigger question is whether Yzerman can fix the Red Wings’ persistent issues — none of which are new. Detroit’s struggles to score at five-on-five this season were merely a repeat of the year prior. They’ve wilted in heavy, late-season hockey for four straight seasons, needing to be harder to play against. If you’ve watched the Red Wings and listened to Yzerman, you’ve probably seen and heard most of this before. It’s part of what’s made the last two months so frustrating. Indeed, the recurrence of those flaws is part of the problem: It means that, despite recognizing these issues, Yzerman hasn’t yet found a solution. Does that mean something needs to change in his philosophies with the way the roster or the lineup is constructed? “Yeah, definitely,” Yzerman said, first talking about the team’s evolving position in the competitive cycle over the years — and how it shaped their roster building — before delving into more concrete areas the team is lacking right now. “The reality is we need to score more five-on-five, so that requires talent and scoring ability,” Yzerman said. “We need to be a harder team to play against. We hear our players talk about that, and my message to them would be: ‘Guys, we need our team to be harder to play against. In order to do that, you guys gotta be harder to play against. So, either that, or I gotta get rid of you and bring in other guys.’ “So, I’d like to see us — in our bottom six, we need some production as well, and also to have some definition. Maybe a true checking line or shutdown line, and then depending on what you have in your top nine, you build your fourth line a little bit around that. If you don’t have enough production, then you’ve got to get some production on that fourth line. If you’re not big enough and hard enough or whatnot, then you need that. And truthfully, we need a little bit of all of that.” Again, none of these are new concepts. The Red Wings ranked 30th in the NHL with 2.13 five-on-five goals per 60 minutes this season. They were also 30th last season at 2.08. Interestingly, they were ninth in that category in 2023-24 (2.68) — but gave up even more goals (2.87), wiping out the impact, which speaks to how easy they were to play against. The late-season results show that, too, as Detroit has consistently been unable to win when the hockey gets toughest. Yzerman’s direct reference to the bottom six is relevant to both of those shortcomings, and it stands out as a part of the lineup in need of major reinvention. Their bottom two lines don’t score enough and don’t do enough to make up for it in other ways, which speaks to Yzerman’s pseudo-ultimatum to get harder to play against, “or I gotta get rid of you and bring in other guys.” Considering Yzerman has been at this since 2019 (granted, the first four years were geared more toward acquiring picks than winning), the front office’s own processes must be under the microscope just as much. Yzerman was asked if he saw any changes coming to the front-office staff, regarding his own role or anyone else’s. “I would say at this stage, a week after the season, you really need to take some time to assess where we’re at, how we’re doing things, what everyone’s role is,” Yzerman said. “Talk to ownership a little bit about where we’re at, and how do we move forward here? Like ultimately, my responsibility is to do (in) everything what’s right for the organization. I intend to see that through. But that’s not to say that things can’t be changed around here.” That’s not a firm answer, but Yzerman twice on Thursday referenced “intend(ing) to see this through.” Interestingly, that does leave the door open for some manner of change behind the scenes — whether personnel, process or something else — but it doesn’t sound like he’s planning to go scorched earth anywhere. “I think everything has to be assessed, how we do things,” Yzerman said. “It would be ignorant to not really have an in-depth look at our team, at our organization, for sure. Do we need major shake-ups? Maybe, maybe not.” He alluded to his playing career and how his era of Red Wings had to learn to play differently to find success. This current group is not the same as those early 1990s Red Wings, but in drawing the parallel, you could hear that part of his approach relies upon simply extracting more from the players he has. Perhaps that can happen. But when a group has run into the same wall over and over again, it’s hard to imagine internal improvement being the sole driver for any of the real change the Red Wings need. And that puts the onus on Yzerman to go beyond identifying the Red Wings’ issues and truly fix them. “We need better players,” Yzerman said. “We need to improve specifically in certain areas. We can talk about goal scoring; we need to improve in that area, particularly five-on-five. Collectively, if you’re watching the playoffs, and I’m assuming and I’m hoping our players are, to play with the intensity and determination needed to be successful to make the playoffs and get there. But ultimately it’s incumbent upon me and my staff to improve the team.” Spot the pattern. 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