NHL Executives Sound Alarm Over Red Wings Chaos
· Yahoo Sports
The Detroit Red Wings’ unsettled summer is no longer drawing questions only from fans and reporters. Executives around the NHL are now criticizing what they see.
Frank Seravalli published a blunt assessment Monday of Detroit’s prolonged general-manager search, citing an anonymous NHL GM who took direct aim at how long the process has lasted.
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“It’s inexcusable how long this search has taken, truly baffling to me that a billion-dollar franchise would operate this way in 2026,” the NHL general manager told Seravalli.
The criticism lands only days after new details raised questions about Detroit’s interview process, including reports that some executives connected to the job were never formally interviewed.
Detroit still has not named Steve Yzerman’s permanent successor.
That would be notable enough on its own. The timing makes it harder to dismiss.
Larkin Decision Draws Criticism, Too
Another rival executive questioned Detroit’s handling of Dylan Larkin.
The Red Wings announced Friday that Larkin will report to training camp despite his unresolved trade request, but the club will begin the season without a captain. Any future captaincy decision will wait until new hockey operations leadership is installed.
That decision immediately changed Detroit’s leadership structure after Larkin had worn the “C” since 2021.
Seravalli reported that one rival executive questioned why Detroit removed the captaincy before resolving Larkin’s trade situation, arguing the organization could have preserved more outward stability while continuing to explore a deal.
The NHL’s account of the announcement confirms that Larkin has not withdrawn his request and that Detroit plans to revisit his future once new leadership is in place.
That means the next GM will not inherit a clean desk.
Detroit’s Next GM Inherits Several Major Decisions
Larkin’s future is only part of the workload.
Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned. Alex DeBrincat has made clear he wants to stay in Detroit beyond the final year of his contract. The organization must also navigate normal training-camp roster decisions while establishing a new hockey operations hierarchy.
And camp begins Thursday.
The Red Wings’ official schedule has main training camp running Sept. 17-20 at the BELFOR Training Center, followed immediately by the preseason opener Sept. 21 in Columbus.
Seravalli’s concern goes beyond organizational optics. He selected Detroit at +1900 to finish with the fewest points in the NHL, citing the front-office uncertainty and the possibility that losing Larkin could further weaken the roster.
That prediction is aggressive. Detroit finished 41-31-10 last season, and a messy offseason does not automatically turn a team into the league’s worst.
The more important development is that people inside the NHL are no longer simply wondering who Detroit will hire.
They are openly questioning how Detroit has handled the process that is supposed to produce that person.