Chaos is a strong word.
Neil Smith used it anyway.
The former Detroit Red Wings executive and Stanley Cup-winning general manager took a hard look at his old organization during the NHL Wraparound Podcast, and what he sees isn’t merely an offseason with a few unanswered questions.
Smith sees a franchise caught between eras, still searching for the person who will run hockey operations while its captain continues to wait for a trade that may never come.
“And until those two things are ironed out … the team will stay in chaos until those things are figured out,” Smith said.
Dramatic? Sure.
Completely unfair? That’s harder to argue.
Neil Smith Has Enough Red Wings History to Care
Smith isn’t some former executive tossing grenades at Detroit from a distance.
He served as Detroit’s head scout before leaving in 1989 to become general manager of the New York Rangers. His fingerprints were on the Red Wings’ legendary 1989 draft, and an official team history credits Smith as part of the scouting leadership behind Nicklas Lidstrom’s selection. Smith’s role in Detroit’s scouting operation
He then built the Rangers team that ended a 54-year championship drought by winning the 1994 Stanley Cup. NHL.com’s look back at Smith’s championship team
So when Smith says he is saddened by what he sees in Detroit, there is history behind it.
The more interesting question is whether “chaos” accurately describes what is happening now.
There are two very different answers.
Detroit is not operating without anyone in charge. Chris Ilitch is leading the search, Shawn Horcoff and the existing hockey operations staff remain in place, and the organization has been working through internal and external candidates.
But the most important decisions are still sitting there.
That is the problem.
The GM Search and Dylan Larkin Situation Are Really One Problem
Steve Yzerman’s run as general manager ended July 15, with Detroit announcing that he would remain as a senior adviser while Ilitch searched for the franchise’s next hockey operations leader. The Red Wings began that search with internal and external candidates
More than six weeks later, the permanent replacement has not been named.
That delay alone does not prove dysfunction. Hiring the wrong person quickly would be considerably worse than taking another few weeks to identify the right one.
Detroit has also moved beyond vague speculation. Several concrete candidates have emerged in the search, including executives with backgrounds in scouting, analytics, player development and championship organizations.
The calendar is what makes the situation uncomfortable.
Training camp is approaching, Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned, and Larkin’s trade request is still unresolved.
Those last two issues are not separate from the GM search.
Especially Larkin.
The next person running this franchise should have a major voice in deciding whether Detroit trades its captain, attempts to repair the relationship or enters the season with an unhappy Larkin still occupying the most important forward position on the roster.
Making that decision immediately before hiring the new hockey boss would be backward.
Waiting creates its own mess.
That’s the trap Detroit has built for itself.
Larkin May Force Detroit’s Hand Without Going Anywhere
Larkin requested a trade months ago, yet the Red Wings have not received an offer compelling enough to move their No. 1 center.
His trade protection limits Detroit’s market, and the teams connected to him have their own roster and asset complications.
At this point, Larkin reporting to Red Wings training camp remains a legitimate possibility if no deal materializes.
That scenario would be unusual enough by itself.
Detroit could open camp with a captain who asked to leave, an interim structure overseeing hockey operations and a permanent GM potentially arriving just as roster decisions accelerate.
Now Smith’s choice of words starts sounding a little less theatrical.
The Red Wings don’t have a lack of people doing jobs. They have a lack of resolution at the two positions that define the direction of an NHL franchise: the executive making the biggest decisions and the captain leading the team.
There is also a distinction worth making.
“Chaos” does not necessarily mean the organization is doomed. Detroit still has foundational young talent in place, and taking time with a franchise-altering hire can be justified.
But patience only works if it eventually produces clarity.
Smith’s criticism lands because the Red Wings have reached the end of August without it.
Detroit doesn’t need to make a move simply to make everyone feel better.
It does need to decide who is making the next move.
And until that happens, Smith has given the current state of Hockeytown a description that is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss.
