Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings are about to get a GM from outside the organization.
The Grind Line Podcast reported this week that both Kris Draper and Shawn Horcoff are out of the running for the job.
That leaves Detroit's internal options at zero, at least among the names most fans expected to be in play.
Steve Yzerman stepped away from the GM chair back in mid-July, moving into a senior advisor role under owner Chris Ilitch.
Horcoff has been running day-to-day hockey operations since then. Draper, the assistant GM and director of amateur scouting, was seen as the other logical internal name.
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Both are reportedly done. Whoever takes this job now walks in from outside Hockeytown entirely.
Owner Chris Ilitch brought in an external search firm to help find the hire, and Detroit's original Labour Day target already came and went without a name attached.
Why the next GM inherits Larkin's future immediately
Larkin put up 67 points last season, 34 goals and 33 assists in 74 games, still performing like a genuine first-line center.
He also requested a trade earlier this summer, and that request hasn't gone away just because the GM chair is empty.
Larkin controls the process through his no-trade protection, and his list of acceptable destinations is reportedly short.
That means the new hire doesn't get a honeymoon period. Larkin's situation lands on his desk on day one.
There's also Simon Edvinsson, still unsigned as a restricted free agent after putting up 25 points in 72 games and a plus-12 rating on the back end.
September 15 is the deadline pressure point there too, missing camp entirely becomes a real risk the longer this search drags.
Detroit finished 41-31-10 last season, 16th overall, closing on a three-game skid that summed up a frustrating year.
Ruling out Draper and Horcoff publicly is a specific signal, not a vague update. It tells the fan base exactly where this search stands.
Is an outside hire actually what fixes Detroit's stalled culture, or does it just delay the Larkin decision further while a new voice gets up to speed?
Whoever walks into that office next inherits a captain who wants out and a promising young defenseman still unsigned, all before camp even opens.
Should the Red Wings hire completely outside the organization for their next GM?
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