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Red Wings Two Truths and A Lie: September Preview Edition
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- Red Wings Two Truths and A Lie: September Preview Edition
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Training camp for the Red Wings is less than a month away, and with the Red Wings season fast approaching, its time for two truths and a lie about the Red Wings franchise as we face down the last week and a half before hockey activities begin again in Detroit .
Truth: No winners in Red Wings war
The departure of Steve Yzerman as Red Wings GM was perhaps overdue after he failed in his seven year tenure in the chair to assemble a roster that could claim a playoff spot. However the timing of it, especially with the uproar around Dylan Larkin's trade request, has created a vacuum for the team. Fans and management aren't happy with Larkin for the trade request in the first place, especially with how it broke publicly.
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Now the team has effectively been treading water in an offseason where they needed to make moves to improve the roster. Larkin definitely doesn't appear any closer to having his trade request granted.
That requires a general manager or president of hockey ops who can grant the request and negotiate with other teams.
Right now, it doesn't appear as if the Red Wings have anyone making those kinds of decisions at the NHL level.
Truth: Red Wings' silence has only hurt their perception
While it was typical for there to be a certain lack of communication while the team was still under Yzerman. Part of the reason that was tolerated was because of his longstanding reputation with the team and the city's media. Yzerman was a man of few words when he was captain of the team, and he continued that tradition as GM of the franchise.
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That silence wore on fans' patience and was no doubt part of the mixed reaction to his unceremonious exit.
Now, the team has gone nearly two months without finding a new GM and they haven't been very communicative with the search process. That's led to an ample breeding ground for rumor mill churn and misinformation as aggregators pick up old information for new engagement.
Communicating about who they've interviewed, or at least where they are at in the process would do a lot to help restore confidence in team ownership.
Lie: The new GM can repair the Larkin relationship
While its possible Larkin may be willing to return to Detroit, and that a new GM may be over to smooth out some of the bumps in the relationship, the issue is with the third party, the fans.
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Detroit fans are many things, but they are certainly not unappreciative of loyalty. And right or wrong, Larkin's request out feels like a slap in the face for many fans. Part of it is the fact that the news broke from an anonymous source just weeks after his last public appearance, where he said he wanted to stay in Detroit.
The other part of it is the other half of the optics. The team has petered out in March for the past several years under Larkin's captaincy. This year, Larkin was injured the day of the trade deadline, after Yzerman patched what appeared to be the team's biggest hole on defense and years of asking to add to the roster.
Now he wants out.
No matter the actual intention, to some, the request just looks like he quit on the team. That's something everyone is going to be grappling with on opening night, win or lose.
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