Ryan Whitney floats idea of Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman being on the hot seat after another disappointing season

Ryan Whitney, co-host of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, shared his thoughts on Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.

Whitney said that Yzerman might be on the hot seat after another underwhelming season and also pointed out that Montreal is ahead of Detroit in the standings.

“I don't know if at some point you think Steve Yzerman's job is, you know, a little bit on the hot seat,” Whitney said. "Now all of a sudden Montreal, who nobody even considered close to really where Detroit or Ottawa Was, is looking better than Detroit is"

The Red Wings are 35-33-7 with 77 points and trail Montreal by four points for the last wild card spot. Both teams have seven games remaining. Detroit has already missed the playoffs in the previous four seasons.

The Red Wings average 2.81 goals per game and allow 3.16. Their power play is strong, ranked third in the NHL at 28.4%, but their penalty kill ranks last in the league at 69.0%. Lucas Raymond leads the team with 74 points and 48 assists, while Alex DeBrincat leads in goals with 34.

Yzerman became the general manager in 2019, but the team hasn’t made the playoffs since then. At the time, the team was in a poor shape, as former GM Ken Holland had left behind bad contracts and weak draft results.

This offseason will be important for Yzerman, as the Red Wings can’t afford to sign more players to poor rcontracts.

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Detroit Red Wings coach shares thoughts after beating the Hurricanes

The Detroit Red Wings won 5-3 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday at Little Caesars Arena. Goalie Cam Talbot made 30 saves for Detroit.

Talking about the win, Coach Todd McLellan said that it was a team effort.

"I don’t think a goaltender can beat that team alone, it has to be a team game," McLellan said (via NHL.com). "We made some mistakes, and they made us pay, but we sold out, blocked shots, got some really good penalty killing and made some big saves."

Ben Chiarot scored first with a rebound shot before Marco Kasper added the second goal soon after by tapping in a loose puck. Jackson Blake got Carolina on the board following a turnover.

Patrick Kane then scored on a breakaway to make it 3-1 before Michael Rasmussen added another for Detroit with a backhand shot. Kane’s goal was his 20th of the season, setting a record for most 20-goal seasons by a U.S.-born player.

Carolina fought back with a goal from Eric Robinson, which bounced off Cam Talbot’s back and skate, while Brent Burns scored their third with a deflected shot. Alex DeBrincat, though, sealed the game with an empty-net goal.