Detroit Red Wings Considering Left Field Option for New General Manager

The Detroit Red Wings have a vacancy in the front office, and now, they're considering a shock option to replace Steve Yzerman.

Detroit Red Wings / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Detroit Red Wings off-season has been a quiet one in action, but when it comes to speculation, they've consistently been in the news, with most of the focus being on the trade request of captain Dylan Larkin.

Behind the scenes, things have been chaotic. The team went through the 2026 NHL Draft and early parts of free agency under GM and President of Hockey Operations Steve Yzerman. After failing to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he and the Red Wings parted ways.

Yzerman is still in an advisory role in Detroit, but clearly neither side believed things were working with him in two front-office roles, and now, with the season less than two months away, they're still looking for his replacement.

Elliotte Friedman Provides Update on Red Wings GM Search

Over the past few days, we've slowly gotten more information about the Red Wings search to fill key front office roles, with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealing some details about the situation on the latest edition of NHL Tonight.

The biggest takeaway from all this is that the team isn't rushing, and after hiring a firm to help them through the search, it's clear that they're taking their time as they look to get this one right to end their 10-year postseason drought.

As of right now, there are no firm favorites to take over in Detroit, but with the pending Larkin request and a lack of stars around him (outside of Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider), whoever takes over will have a massive job to do.

Friedman also mentioned that the candidates will need to have a clear plan coming into their interview with Detroit, with the team clearly focusing on turning things around and making Detroit a destination team once more.

Jeff Greenberg Named as Candidate for Red Wings Role

However, the most interesting note to come away from Friedman's interview is that he named just one person as a true candidate for the role, and it's a surprise one, as he talked about Jeff Greenberg being someone the Red Wings would love to hire.

That's interesting because Greenberg is currently serving as the GM of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers, and while Friedman wouldn't call him the favorite, he notes that Chris Illitch would be highly interested in Greenberg in the role.

While he currently works in MLB, Greenberg played a key role as Assistant GM with the Chicago Blackhawks for several years, so he's someone who has experience across different sports and different situations in front offices.

Obviously, there's no perfect hire out there for Detroit, as their team is one in a very difficult spot for whoever takes over, but in Greenberg, they believe they could have someone capable of turning things around quickly.

Right now, Friedman refuses to call him the favorite, while he reiterated that there will be plenty of candidates interviewed, but given his familiarity with Detroit and what it takes to run a successful organization, he's someone that can't be counted out as the next Red Wings GM.