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Henrik Zetterberg says Detroit Red Wings did Steve Yzerman dirty
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- Henrik Zetterberg says Detroit Red Wings did Steve Yzerman dirty
Henrik Zetterberg ripped his former organization over its handling of Steve Yzerman's ouster as general manager in July .
Zetterberg, an advisor for a hockey club in his native Sweden, was clear on his thoughts on the Detroit Red Wings ' bizarre offseason and start to the season, with two top players – ex-captain Dylan Larkin and ascending young defenseman Simon Edvinsson – sitting out and wanting to be traded.
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"It has been brutal," Zetterberg told Swedish newspaper Expressen in a story published Nov. 4 , according to a translation from The Hockey Beast . "Things always happen, and there's a difference between what comes out and what doesn't, but it's sad. It was very hard to watch Steve step down.
"I'm not going to go into the reasons for it or what happened. But it was obviously very difficult, because I thought it was wrong."
Yzerman was fired as GM in July after seven years and transitioned into a senior advisory role. The Wings have the NHL's longest playoff drought at 10 seasons, and have collapsed down the stretch of multiple seasons to choke away playoff berths, including in 2025-26.
Yzerman, a Hockey Hall of Famer, was the Wings' captain when they won Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002, and spent his entire career in the NHL in Detroit . His No. 19 jersey is retired.
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The Wings, run by owner Chris Ilitch, hired a search firm to find Yzerman's replacement, but Ilitch acknowledged in October the search could last the entire 2026-27 season . The club got such a late start after removing Yzerman post-draft and free agency.
Shawn Horcoff was named interim GM in mid-September.
Zetterberg, 46, played his entire 15-year NHL career with the Wings from 2002-18, leading the team to the Stanley Cup title in 2008 with a playoff-high 13 goals and 27 points in 22 games to earn playoff MVP (Conn Smythe Trophy). He was named captain in 2013.
CARLOS: Red Wings' promise vs top teams should spark some sort of Larkin move
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Zetterberg said many of the former Wings greats of the 1990s and 2000s era stay in touch, with some still employed by the Wings.
Zetterberg, who played with Yzerman for three seasons in Detroit before the latter retired in 2006, said Yzerman was the Wings' icon he was closest with, and called him the "captains' captain in my eyes."
"It's sad that it ends this way," Zetterberg said.
Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
Larkin, 30, asked to be traded shortly after last season ended in April, and was stripped of his captaincy after news broke in the summer of his trade request.
After still not being traded, Larkin played 10 games (with two goals and four assists) this season, then decided he "had enough of the situation," his agent Pat Brisson said Oct. 29. The team suspended Larkin without pay that same day, costing him $41,237.11 per day.
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Larkin has a no-trade clause and is in Year 4 of an eight-year contract that is team-friendly. As of a few weeks ago, the Wings have a list of 10 teams Larkin would approve a trade to .
Simon Edvinsson during Detroit Red Wings training camp at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026.
Edvinsson, 24 and a top-pair defenseman, has been in a contract stalemate for months, and reportedly also wants to be traded . He reported to Wings training camp in September, but went home to Sweden after preseason ended without a new contract.
Edvinsson is a restricted free agent, meaning the club must sign him by Dec. 1 or he will sit out the remainder of the season.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Henrik Zetterberg says Detroit Red Wings did Steve Yzerman dirty
