After a nine-year hiatus, Steve Yzerman is once again a member of the Red Wings. The team introduced him on Friday as its new general manager in a press conference at Little Caesars Arena.
Yzerman spoke alongside Red Wings CEO Chris Ilitch and senior vice president Ken Holland, who handed over the keys of the franchise after 22 years as GM.
Here are five takeaways from the occasion.
Yzerman couldn't have been clearer about this. Restoring the Red Wings as Stanley Cup contenders is going to take time. For all the excitement about his return, Yzerman takes over a team that finished in the bottom of the standings each of the last three years. There are good young players on the way, and some who have already arrived, but installing Yzerman as GM is merely the first step in a long process.
"This organization and this fan base is used to winning and being successful. We have a lot of work to do," Yzerman said. "Depending on your age, you’d know that this takes time. We’ve been through this before. It’s up and down for organizations. I caution everyone to temper the excitement."
He added later, "I'm going to ask for some patience. I know there's a limit to the patience of the fans, of the boss, of everybody, but I'm not going to come in here this first year and on July 1 (the first day of free agency) make a big splash just so we're a little bit better next year. If there’s a way to expedite the process we will do that, but it's hard. We're competing with 30 other teams trying to get the same players, trying to make the same trades, and it just takes time."
With all that said, Yzerman likes the looks of things moving forward. The Red Wings boast a number of promising young forwards, including a budding superstar in Dylan Larkin. They were one of only two teams in the NHL this year with four 20-goal scorers under the age of 25 in Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi. They also own 10 picks in the upcoming draft, including four in the first two rounds.
"If we follow the process, we do our job right and truthfully we get a little bit of luck, we’ll get back to where we’re expected to be," Yzerman said. "I believe the foundation is here for a good core of players -- and it’s the foundation for a core. It takes a pretty good number of players to have that core. I think we’re off to a tremendous start as you watched the team this year with the likes of Larkin, Mantha, Athanasiou, Bertuzzi, (Filip) Hronek. You have the foundation for a core there.
"Kenny has done a tremendous job over the last couple of years of acquiring more draft picks. It’s imperative that we do well in the draft. We have some promising young prospects who were in the AHL this year, (Filip) Zadina, we have young (Michael) Rassmussen who played in Detroit this year, a couple of kids that will turn pro from junior in Jared McIsaac and Joe Veleno. There's an exciting group of young players and prospects and a lot of draft picks. I believe there is a foundation there for this team to be successful."
A head coach is typically in danger upon the hire of a new GM, but in this case Jeff Blashill is safe. Holland signed Blashill to a two-year extension at the end of this season, a contract that Yzerman said he "absolutely" intends to honor. He's always respected the work Blashill has done from afar, including leading the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Calder Cup championship over the AHL affiliate of the Lightning in 2013.
"We have an excellent young coach in Jeff Blashill," said Yzerman. "He’s had success at every level he’s coached at. I had, I guess, the good fortune and bad fortune of our minor league team in Syracuse playing Grand Rapids in the finals and we lost a hard-fought six-game series to a team coached by Jeff. It stood out to me what an excellent job he did with that team, the way he managed them and the way they played. Obviously I had an opportunity to watch the Red Wings this year and the development and the play of some of the young players. So I look forward to working with Jeff."
He added later, "We’re trying to build. We’re trying to have a team that is very competitive, that is going to compete for playoff spots, for Stanley Cups. I’m not looking just to roll in here and do a couple of things that make it exciting and not truly build a team that is going to be successful going forward."
Ilitch went out of his way, a couple of times, to highlight Holland's willingness to step aside for Yzerman. Holland still has one year on his contract, and theoretically could have blocked Yzerman from taking over. Instead, Holland spoke frequently with Yzerman over the last few weeks and ultimately made it clear he wanted Yzerman to be the next GM of the Red Wings.
"We ask our players all the time to consider what’s best for the team, to adjust their play not for their own individual statistics and accolades but rather for what the team needs them to do," said Ilitch. "What Ken Holland has done here through this process is incredible. He has looked at what is in the best interests of the Detroit Red Wings and put his self-interest aside. He loves what he does, but he realizes this is a one-time opportunity, perhaps, to bring Stevie back to Detroit, and Ken has willingly done that."
Said Yzerman, "Ken and I had long conversations, and he felt that he wanted me to take over as the general manager of the team. He had a year left on his contract, but when he comes to you and says, 'Steve, I think you should be the next manager of the Red Wings,' that's obviously something that I was very intrigued by and very excited by."
Though Yzerman's return long felt inevitable, especially once he stepped down as GM of the Lightning before this season, there were reasons for him stay away. For one, the Red Wings aren't the same team with whom he won three Stanley Cups (plus a fourth as a front-office executive). For another, why risk his legacy? But none of that really mattered to Yzerman as he decided to take the job.
"To come back to the Red Wings organization wasn’t a difficult decision," he said. "I know where the organization is at, but there’s so many positives here that I think, hey, this is an awesome opportunity, not only personally but professionally. It’s a chance, again, to rebuild a team."
Yzerman said he gave no thought to his reputation as a player, and the possibility of damaging it as GM.
"It’s irrelevant to me. What I did as a player is done. I can’t do any more, good or bad. It really has no bearing on whether I’m a good general manager or not. I have a job to do. I’m not afraid. I don’t want to fail. I want to do a good job. I’m going to do everything I can to do a good job. I believe in the process. I believe in this organization, I believe in this ownership and I believe in the people that are here. I believe we’re going to be successful. ...
"I’m not afraid. If I don’t do a good job here, I understand the business. It’s a business of winning. You’re going to get a period to do that, and I'm hopeful I do that. I’m not afraid of trying."