Red Wings turmoil deepens as Chris Ilitch misfires with LinkedIn message

The Detroit Red Wings find themselves in deep organizational turmoil, with owner Chris Ilitch now squarely in the crosshairs after a misjudged attempt to address fan frustration via LinkedIn earlier this week.

In a written message posted Monday, Ilitch acknowledged that he understands and shares fans’ frustration, invoking both the historic highs and recent adversity experienced by the franchise. However, delivering that message on a professional networking platform instead of more accessible public channels was widely seen as tone-deaf.

Reaction on social media was harsh, with many supporters feeling the outreach was aimed more at corporate clients, suite holders and season ticket holders than at the broader fan base. During Friday’s home opener at Little Caesars Arena, chants of “Sell the team!” rang out, underlining just how strained the relationship between ownership and supporters has become.

Post-Yzerman vacuum and decade without playoffs

The anger directed at Chris Ilitch has escalated since the July exit of Steve Yzerman, who had served as both executive vice-president of hockey operations and general manager. Nearly three months later, Ilitch and his advisers have yet to appoint a new GM, leaving the club in a leadership vacuum to start the season.

The current slide contrasts sharply with the era under Chris’s father, Mike Ilitch, who bought the Red Wings in 1982 and saw them capture four Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2008. Since 2017, following Mike Ilitch’s death, the team’s fortunes have steadily eroded; Detroit has now missed the playoffs in ten straight seasons, despite turning the reins over to Yzerman in 2019.

On the ice, the Red Wings have opened the campaign with two close losses, 2–0 to New York and 3–2 against Winnipeg, results that come despite what is widely viewed as a thin roster.

Larkin awaiting trade, Edvinsson back in Sweden

Former captain Dylan Larkin remains out of the lineup, saying he is injured while he waits on a potential trade. Larkin has spent all 11 of his NHL seasons in Detroit, but there is now significant doubt about his long-term future with the club. Alex DeBrincat, last season’s leading goal-scorer, is also seen as a possible candidate to move on.

Promising defenceman Simon Edvinsson has already left for Sweden amid a contract stalemate. The 23-year-old, drafted sixth overall in 2021 and used heavily behind Moritz Seider last season, is reported to be interested in leaving the organization entirely if the impasse is not resolved.

Insider Elliotte Friedman has reported that Yzerman bears major responsibility for Edvinsson’s situation. According to Friedman’s 32 Thoughts podcast, the Red Wings under Yzerman pushed for a bridge deal rather than a long-term contract, reluctant to commit significant money early to their young players, fuelling a growing perception around the league that Detroit does not want to pay its own talent.

Draper’s new role and a long road back

Interim executive Shawn Horcoff is left to manage this upheaval while the search for a permanent GM drags on. Even in this climate, the team made a notable front-office move Tuesday, promoting Kris Draper to director of pro scouting, a position that had been vacant since Mark Howe’s departure in 2021.

Draper had overseen amateur scouting since 2019, a period in which Detroit picked five times in the top eight and seven times in the top 15, for a total of 23 selections in the first two rounds. Aside from hits like Seider, Lucas Raymond and Edvinsson, that haul has yielded limited impact so far.

The overall picture in Detroit is bleak: a marquee franchise stuck in a prolonged rebuild, no clear leadership at the top, and several core players seemingly eager to move on. Elsewhere around the league, Barkov met with doctors on Monday, with more information on his situation expected later this week.