Elliotte Friedman links new name to Steve Yzerman succession

Steve Yzerman is out as Red Wings general manager today, shifted into a new role as special advisor to the team president.

That leaves Detroit's GM chair empty heading into the summer, and the search for a replacement is already picking up steam.

Elliotte Friedman said on NHL Tonight Wednesday that Brendan Shanahan's name is going to come up a lot in that search, calling him one of the first people he thought of.

Friedman didn't stop there. He made clear this is going to be a crowded list of candidates once word spreads around the league.

Elliotte Friedman: Re Red Wings management search: You're gonna hear a lot of names like Brendan Shanahan, that was one of the first people I thought of.

The Red Wings finished this season 41-31-10 for 92 points, good for 16th overall and sixth in their division.

Detroit closed out on fumes. A 2-6-2 stretch over the final ten games, capped by an 8-1 beatdown on the road against the Panthers on April 15.

Todd McLellan has run the bench in Detroit since being hired in December 2024. He now watches this front-office search play out from behind the glass.

Why Shanahan's name changes everything for Detroit

Yzerman had been running the Red Wings since April 2019, rebuilding a roster that spent years bottoming out. Moving him upstairs is a strange way to reward a rebuild that still hasn't produced a playoff berth this franchise can point to with pride.

It's the kind of front-office shuffle that looks tidy on an org chart and messy everywhere else. Ownership clearly wants fresh voice in that GM seat, even if it means benching the guy who built the roster in the first place.

Shanahan's name carries weight in Detroit for obvious reasons. Whether he wants the job, or whether Detroit even offers it to him, is a different question entirely.

The GM chair sits empty in Hockeytown right now. Who Detroit trusts to fill it will shape this franchise long after this offseason news cycle fades.