Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman Hints At Tampering In Recent Comments On Free Agency

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 2:50 PM ET

Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings didn't land a big name in free agency, and now the veteran GM has hinted at tampering after free agency chaos.

Since July 1st, free agency and trades in the NHL have been chaotic, and with so many players swapping teams or signing new deals, it's become truly hard to keep up with.

If that's the case for fans, then General Managers around the league must truly be overwhelmed, but for some, there wasn't many moves to be made over the last 72 hours.

Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman would be a perfect example of that, and while the team have signed James Van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton to NHL deals, they missed out on some of the bigger names in the league.

That was something that Yzerman has recently addressed, and in his comments, he seemed to suggest that there may have been some tampering involved with other top free agents.

'We didn't even get a chance to talk to those guys (the top free agents). They all signed with their clubs or were traded before free agency. Not much we can do about that.'

Yzerman pointing out that he didn't get a chance to talk to guys suggests that those names had already made up their mind before free agency began, and while some signed extensions before July 1st, it's hard to ignore how so many deals simply came together quickly on day one of free agency.

While the NHL noted that they would be cracking down on tampering, it's clearly not going to happen, as many teams openly had deals done before free agency (many knew that Vladislav Gavrikov was a Ranger well before free agency for example), so while Yzerman is upset, it's likely that nothing will come from his suggestive comments.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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