For fans who are hoping to see a change behind the Detroit Red Wings bench for next season, it doesn’t sound like it’d be a good idea for them to be holding their breath in anticipation.
During last night’s broadcast between the Red Wings and Dallas Stars, NBC Sports commentator Joe Micheletti discussed at length Yzerman’s relationship with Blashill, and the “upswing” that the team’s future holds.
“His contract expires after this season. He’s had a lot of good conversations with Steve Yzerman over the year,” Micheletti said. “They’re going to wait until the season ends and then they’ll address his situation, but he’s talked about how proud he is, especially of all these young players where he’s seen improvement.
“Is there frustration? He says, ‘Absolutely there’s frustration because we all want to win, we hate losing, and we’re not winning enough.’ But there are certainly some bright spots and the future for Detroit is certainly on the upswing.”
That certainly doesn’t sound like a prediction that someone is about to be given a pink slip.
Yzerman himself said following the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline that he and Blashill would sit down at the end of this season, which will be the 5th straight out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, to discuss his future.
Aside from a few notable blowout losses, the Red Wings have been largely competitive this season, having lost several close games. For Blashill, it’s about taking the little steps during the noted rebuild that will built the platform for future prolonged success.
“We understand that we’re in a rebuild and that we have to grind every day to get a little bit better,” Blashill said last week. “As I’ve said lots, anybody who thinks there’s going to be this big, giant leap is misinformed and probably doesn’t understand how anything turns around. It’s a slow process lots of times and it takes one step forward with two steps backward. It’s hard. You’re going to get knocked down and you have to keep getting backed up.”
– – Quotes via Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket Link – –
