Was Steve Yzerman Set Up to Fail in Detroit?

There’s an easy way to tell the Steve Yzerman story. He comes back home to Detroit, gets the GM job, spends years trying to rebuild, and it just doesn’t work. Seven years later, no playoff runs, then the captain asks out, and everybody moves on. Story closed. Simple. Clean.

But the longer you look at what’s happened since he left, the more that “simple version” doesn’t quite hold up.

Yzerman Has a History of Success with the Tampa Bay Lightning

First, it’s worth remembering what Yzerman actually proved he can do. When he took over the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2010, that team wasn’t in great shape. He built them the right way—through the draft, smart development, and patient roster building. He didn’t just patch things together. He constructed a real contender.

And even though Tampa won the Cups after he left for Detroit, the important part is this: the team he helped build won. That’s a huge deal. It shows he knows how to build winners, not just pick random parts and hope it works. So why didn’t it play out the same way in Detroit?

Yzerman’s Run with the Red Wings Wasn’t Nearly as Successful

Seven years with no playoff appearances is still seven years with no playoff appearances. And Dylan Larkin asking for a trade after all that? That’s worth considering. That’s a “uh oh” moment for any team. But this is where it gets more interesting.

According to reporting by the Detroit Free Press, ownership may have been getting in Yzerman’s way more than once. In 2024, the Wings reportedly pushed hard to sign Steven Stamkos, but there were reports that Yzerman wanted to add a fourth year to Detroit’s offer and needed Chris Ilitch’s approval. But owner Chris Ilitch supposedly wasn’t willing to pay what it would’ve taken, and Stamkos ended up signing with Nashville.

Then this past offseason, the same kind of thing showed up again with Anthony Mantha. A deal reportedly existed, but it fell apart the same day Detroit announced Yzerman’s removal—while ownership was still debating. Mantha signed with New Jersey about 10 minutes later.