Report: Red Wings hire search firm to find next general manager
Hockeytown is using an outside source to find the new person to run their hockey operations department.
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit Red Wings owner and CEO Chris Ilitch has hired a firm to help look for their new general manager.
The position became open after Steve Yzerman decided to step down as the team’s GM last month, shifting roles to become a senior advisor to Ilitch. It comes after the Red Wings had a massive falloff in the second half of the 2025-26 season, going from an Atlantic Division title contender to missing the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, a franchise record for futility. Yzerman, who took over as GM in April 2019 from his former mentor, Ken Holland, did very little to improve the Wings on the ice. While he helped rebuild the prospect pool, finding young stars such as Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Simon Edvinsson, it hardly helped Detroit climb out of the rebuild, only coming close to being a playoff contender over the past few seasons.
In the meantime, assistant GM Shawn Horcoff is running the day-to-day operations as GM. However, his role does not allow him to trade any players at this time. The former NHLer does have experience running a team, as he’s also the general manager of the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, a role he has held since February 2022. Under his leadership, the Griffins have made the Calder Cup Playoffs in each of the past three seasons, finishing with the best record in the Western Conference this past year.
Whoever the team hires will have a lot of work to do. Along with trying to piece together a roster to be considered postseason-worthy, they will have to deal with the ongoing saga involving captain Dylan Larkin. The Michigan native made bombshell headlines when he requested a trade following the end of the regular season, but reportedly is only interested in being traded to the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild or Vegas Golden Knights.
