Frank Seravalli is one of the go-to analysts when it comes to all things hockey, whether he’s got insights on the Detroit Red Wings or one of the 31 other franchises. Disagree with Seravalli or agree with him all you want, you can’t deny that fans and insiders alike respect his takes.
So, when Seravalli says general manager Steve Yzerman needs to go in a certain direction, fans need to at least stop and more than take Seravalli’s words to heart. The guy’s been around the NHL universe for a while now, and he knows what wins teams Stanley Cups.
So, when Tyler Yaremchuk asked Seravalli if “Yzerman’s itching to maybe swing big and not just run it back with [Patrick] Kane and the same guys as last year,” Seravalli responded with, “They desperately need to. Kane and [Vladimir] Tarasenko – they’re nice pieces, but those are final pieces of the puzzle that you stamp in there to help get a team from the conference final to winning a Stanley Cup. They are not “drive you through the regular season and wedge you into the playoffs” players. Beyond that, Detroit significantly needs upgrades on their defense. They have to go out and fix that this summer or else you can cancel their playoff plans before the season even starts.”
Frank Seravalli gets it right about the Red Wings situation
Back in the day, as in, back in the 2010s, guys like Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko were leading teams to Stanley Cup glory. Here in the 2020s, that’s not the case, as both players are, at best, members of the supporting cast. Not that they aren’t capable, since Kane can still be a menace on the power play and an all-around playmaker.
And yes, Tarasenko can still play, despite the downer of a campaign he had during his maiden voyage in Hockeytown. Maybe Tarasenko’s future isn’t in the Motor City, but if it isn’t, it wouldn’t surprise me if Yzerman went out and got a Tarasenko-like player if he moved on from the seasoned vet.
Regardless of who’s sitting in Tarasenko’s seat, whether it’s Tarasenko himself or someone else, expect a solid performance, even if you can’t call it spectacular these days. And yeah, I said solid, even if Tarasenko’s back, because a player of his caliber’s not letting whatever the heck we saw last season happen again.
Now, it’s time to make that blockbuster trade
We all have our own thoughts on the Yzerplan, and while some still want to believe in it, it’s time to see results on the ice translate into the postseason and beyond. The Yzerplan’s brought in plenty of in-house talent, just as Steve Yzerman intended. But if it was good enough, the Wings would’ve made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
They need to do anything and everything this offseason to make it happen. The team hung out in the Atlantic’s top three at varying points in 2023-24 and 2024-25, and in both instances, it happened well after both seasons began. Heck, the Wings were more than in playoff contention before the 4 Nations back in February.
That tells me they’re good enough to be taken seriously; they just need one more big trade, either for a defenseman or for a dynamic forward like Jason Robertson, to make it happen. Now, the burning question is, does Steve Yzerman know and understand that.
