Steve Yzerman Is Exactly Why I’d Never Hire a Franchise Legend to Run My Team

After being in first place in the Atlantic Division in January, around the Olympic break, looking like a playoff spot was basically a lock, and at the trade deadline the Detroit Red Wings traded an unprotected first-round pick to push for the postseason.

And yet… here we are.

The Red Wings have now missed the playoffs for the tenth year in a row. The NHL's newest longest active postseason drought now that their divisional rival, the Buffalo Sabres are back in the dance this year.

And it's crazy nobody is surprised by their collapse.

The Red Wings have looked like a playoff team going into March for the last few years: 2023, 2024, 2025, and now 2026. It always seems like this is the year they will end the drought. And every time, they blow it. 

Because of that, postseason hockey hasn’t been back in Detroit since 2016.

Which brings me to my point... We need to start looking at general manager Steve Yzerman.

The Red Wings hired Yzerman as their general manager in 2019. Of course, he was one of the best players in the team's history. This move made all the sense in the world.

He had just spent nearly a decade turning the Tampa Bay Lightning into a powerhouse and funnily enough, as soon as he left, the Lightning went onto win two Stanley Cups and made it to three straight Stanley Cup Finals.

He came into Detroit promising “The Yzerplan.” Trust his vision, build through the draft, and he promised he would bring a contender back to "Hockeytown."

But here’s the reality… It hasn’t happened. He hasn't even come close. Not only has he not built a contender, he hasn’t even gotten them into the playoffs once since taking over in 2019. Teams like the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and Ottawa Senators have had faster rebuilds in HIS OWN DIVISION and are better now than Detroit has ever been under Yzerman's watch.

When is enough enough?

And to me, he’s the perfect example of why, if I were running a team, I would never hire a franchise legend to be my GM, president, or head coach.

I know that’s controversial. I just wouldn’t do it.

Why? I just feel like you get stuck as an organization.

Let's look at the Red Wings. I don't they have the balls to fire Yzerman and I don't blame them. This is a guy who as a player the longest-tenured captain in NHL history, brought multiple Stanley Cups to Detroit and is one of the most beloved figures the franchise has ever had.

So now you’re in a lose-lose situation. Fire him, and you risk damaging your relationship with a franchise icon. Keep him, and you risk damaging the fans’ relationship with that same icon.

And right now? You can feel that tension is building.

It's not even just in Detroit; let’s look elsewhere.

Take Rod Brind'Amour with the Carolina Hurricanes.

I’ll give him full credit; he has completely rebuilt the culture in Carolina since he took over as coach in 2018. The Hurricanes have made the playoffs every year under him. They win their division seemingly every year, have made the Eastern Conference Finals, and seem poised for another deep playoff run this year.

But there's a reason you don't see many picking them to actually win the East.

Because every time they get to the NHL's Final Four… they’re not competitive. They've won ONE single game in three Conference Finals appearances under Brind'Amour.

It feels like the same story every year. Dominate a weaker Metro division. Get to the conference finals. Get exposed by a better team.

And I’m not saying Brind’Amour should be fired.

I’m just asking: when does the conversation start?

When do fans begin to feel that frustration, even with someone who brought them a Cup as a player?

This isn’t just a hockey thing.

Look at Magic Johnson with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He didn’t do a great job running the team as President of Basketball Operations.

Yes, LeBron James ended up there, but that had more to do with LeBron wanting to live in LA than anything Magic built. Then Magic walked away from the job suddenly in 2019, without warning.

The relationship with fans is still there, but there was definitely tension for a decent amount of time.

Now, to be fair, there are exceptions.

John Elway built a Super Bowl team with the Denver Broncos.

Mario Lemieux has had a long-standing impact as part-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ownership? That’s different. I’m okay with that.

But GM. President. Head coach?

Those are jobs where you have to be willing to move on when things aren’t working.

There has to be a certain level of urgency with these jobs to cross that finish line.

If you’re a franchise legend, you’re getting a longer leash than you deserve. That’s just reality. And I don’t think that’s healthy.

In Detroit, it feels like there’s no urgency with Yzerman, the pressure just isn’t the same.

In Carolina, it feels similar with Brind’Amour. It's the same results, every year, but there's no real noise about his job security.

That’s exactly why I wouldn’t put myself in that position in the first place.

No matter how great you were as a player, no matter what you meant to the organization, if you’re running my team, you’re getting evaluated like everyone else.

You can't have someone feeling like they have a longer leash because of what they did on the field of play or ice.

Maybe it’s a hot take.

But in professional sports, where winning is everything, I just don’t think you can afford to operate any other way.