Where Does the Yzerplan Stand in 2023?

The Moves

Yzerman added several players to the roster in order to make the team more difficult to play against night in and night out. Some of these additions have played better for the Red Wings than others. Defenseman Ben Chiarot has moved up and down Detroit’s defensive corps after initially playing with second-year defenseman Moritz Seider. The 31-year-old was brought into Detroit in order to be a mentor for Seider. Yzerman took a big swing by drafting Seider sixth overall in the 2019 NHL entry draft. It is unlikely but not unheard of for Yzerman to want to trade Chiarot so soon after signing him to a four-year, $19 million contract.

The Red Wings will once again most likely not make the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is despite the 2022-23 season starting off well under new head coach Lalonde. However, due to the number of injuries and time missed by players on the roster, the Red Wings can look ahead at what the roster will be comprised of in 2024. The fact that the team will have so much salary cap money coming off of their books will only make room for more talent on the roster.

The Yzerplan

The Red Wings" rebuild under Yzerman was dubbed "the Yzerplan." The new general manager was brought into the team that he played his entire 22-year career with in order to shape the team in the same image as the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he had been the general manager for eight seasons after retiring. The Lightning won two Stanley Cups in three seasons under Yzerman. However, questions remain as to where the "Yzerplan" is going in year three for the Red Wings.

The most likely candidate to be traded by the Red Wings is Tyler Bertuzzi, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Multiple contentious contract negotiations between Bertuzzi and Yzerman have been the catalyst for this speculation. The number of injuries that Bertuzzi has had, especially the back injury that he suffered in January of 2021 makes giving the 27-year-old a new contract dubious. Bertuzzi has only scored 30 goals in one season, last season, due to his being out of the lineup for various reasons.

Oh Captain, My Captain?

Captain Dylan Larkin will also be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and has a full no-trade clause. The Waterford, Michigan, native who is a three-time NHL all-star, was drafted by the Red Wings in 2014. When asked recently about why the contract negotiations between the two sides have come to a stalemate recently, Larkin said that he sees himself as a Red Wing. This is Larkin using the leverage that he has as the best player on the Red Wings roster in order to drive up his price. Larkin has already rejected an eight-year, $64 million contract.

The goaltender position is arguably the most important position on any hockey team. This is a position that has been in flux in recent years for the Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in July of 2021. Nedeljkovic’s time with the Red Wings has been up and down as he was replaced as the starting goalie for the team this season after the team acquired Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues. Yzerman has proven that he will do whatever it takes to make the Red Wings into a playoff team once again.

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