When Steve Yzerman surprised the hockey world by announcing that he was stepping down as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, buzz quickly grew about his impending return to the Detroit Red Wings. However, with two years left on Ken Holland’s current contract, and Yzerman sticking around in Tampa Bay with an advisory role, it’s not clear what really comes next for the former Wings captain.
A former teammate thinks he knows, though.
Chris Osgood was a guest on a local Detroit radio show today where he offered the following comments about Yzerman’s future.
“Me guessing, yeah, I think it’s inevitable that at some point in time he will be here,” said Osgood, although he confirmed he has no knowledge of Yzerman’s plans.
“It just has to be the right moment.”
Osgood’s comments really aren’t much of a surprise. In fact, every Red Wing fan in the state of Michigan likely believes the same thing.
“I know people are over Ken Holland, but he’s the guy that built the team back in the early 1990s,” Osgood told hosts Jamie Samuelsen and Mike Stone.
“He’s a Hall-of-Fame GM. I think they’ll wait for the right time.
“Eventually, I believe (Yzerman) will be here.”
And while fans are relentless these days with their complaints about Holland and coach Jeff Blashill, it’s getting to be a bit over the top. While there are no excuses for some of the bad contracts, the team is fully rebuilding now and struggles are to be expected. Ultimately, this season is not measured by a playoff appearance and they no longer have to keep any streaks alive. This season will be measured by a top five draft pick in the 2019 draft, and with a bit of luck, they hope the first overall draft pick.
Before the rebuild comes to an end, though, many expect Yzerman to take the reins. They want him to right the ship and finish what he was unable to do as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning – win another Stanley Cup.
When it comes to Holland, many people now are pointing to his hometown as a sign of things to come. As a native of Vernon, British Columbia, Seattle is only about an hour away by plane.