When the 2021-22 NHL regular season finally reached its conclusion, it did not take too long for the Detroit Red Wings to announce that head coach Jeff Blashill would not be back for the 2022-23 season.
Following that announcement, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke to reporters and explained that he believes the team had regressed with and without the puck and he felt it was the right time to bring in a new voice.
“Ultimately to make that decision, I felt our team fundamentally, that we kind of… I don’t even know if plateaued is the right word. But we had gotten to a point where fundamentally, with and without the puck, we had regressed,” Yzerman said.
“We’re at a point now where I felt like I’ve got to see if bringing in a new coach and coaching staff can make a difference to get us back and get us going in the right direction,” Yzerman said.
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Now, Yzerman is forced with the task of finding and hiring a head coach that he believes will eventually lead the Detroit Red Wings to a Stanley Cup.
One name that has been mentioned as a potential candidate to be the team’s next head coach is former Red Wings superstar, Sergei Fedorov.
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Should Steve Yzerman bring in Sergei Fedorov to lead the Detroit Red Wings?
During a recent article, Prashanth Iyer discussed the Red Wings potentially bringing Fedorov back to Hockeytown.
Here is some of what Iyer had to say about the pros and cons of the Red Wings hiring Fedorov.
We don’t have a lot to evaluate Fedorov on as a head coach given that he’s been with CSKA for just one year, but there are a few things that are encouraging. Obviously, as a player, Sergei was one of the most intelligent players in the history of the NHL. Alex Ovechkin called him the best player he played with back in 2015. Former Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman suggested that if he had left Fedorov on defense, he would have been an all-star defenseman. If (and this is a HUGE if) Fedorov shows the ability to communicate the “how” behind his skills to younger players, the sky is the limit for him as a coach.
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There are also logistical issues beyond just the one year of head coaching experience. Fedorov is currently in Russia and it’s unclear if and when he would be able to come to North America. Furthermore, there’s the jersey retirement conundrum that has yet to be addressed. Finally, there’s the concern that, if Fedorov is not successful, what does it do to Yzerman’s relationship with Fedorov if he has to fire him? It’s certainly an awkward situation, but not an absolute barrier by any stretch.
Nation, would you like to see the Red Wings hire Sergei Fedorov to be their next head coach?
