Steve Yzerman's 4 worst moves that doomed him as Red Wings GM

Steve Yzerman is transitioning from his role as Red Wings GM after the 2025-26 season, during which the team finished with 92 points but missed the playoffs for a 10th consecutive year following a brutal finish that included six losses in their final seven games. Yzerman took over in 2019 and drafted Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider while trading for Alex DeBrincat, but the team failed to end its postseason drought under his tenure. The article identifies a 2021 trade of Anthony Mantha for Jakub Vrána, Richard Pánik and draft picks as one of Yzerman's worst moves, with Vrána and Pánik disappointing in Detroit while Mantha scored a career-high 64 points for Pittsburgh, and the acquired first-round pick becoming goalie Sebastian Cossa who was later traded away.

Via Detroit Free Press: www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2026/07

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