EF: You know what, Nick, I've kind of wondered, do you think there's any chance that he would kick himself upstairs and let Draper or Horcoff be the GM?”

Kypreos: I think, when you feel the pressure of a fan base for some accountability to change it up or give them a different look. Yes, I do think everything is on the table. 

EF: Like, don't you think those guys are ready to show that whether… you still have Yzerman as your number one guy….you know, the one thing I've always respected about Yzerman is he grinds. Like, that guy works hard.

…Maybe you take a little bit of a step back. You let, like, a Horcoff or a Draper take a bigger role, have a bit more of a say, slightly different perspective. And maybe that's the change you make.

I've kind of wondered..I've bounced it off on people. Both those guys [Horcoff and Draper] have been interviewed for jobs before. Eventually they're probably ready. Why not let it happen there? They're your guys. You've developed them. You've invested in them.

At the start they also joke about Friedman getting in trouble answering Stevie Y questions. And I posted here a summary of all the other front office news and rumors they talk about: Leafs, Canucks, Devils, etc: https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/s/KOgda4AE2k

31 comments

  1. Horcoff has been doing well in GR but the NHL is a whole different ball game.

    I’m still of the mind that if Steve is around in any official capacity I’ll just be more of the same.

  2. Anyone but Draper, I don’t want anymore old legends in the FO… get someone in here that’s a true GM, not just a name

  3. Need a young face with new ideas just so if it doesn’t work we know exactly why it isn’t and if it does then we make the playoffs

  4. I could see Horcoff taking the job eventually. Probably not this offseason, but maybe the season after if more progress isn’t made or further down the road if progress is made.

    Does Draper even want to be GM? I always got the feeling that he just likes being along for the ride and being part of the machine, but I guess I’m not basing that on anything in particular.

  6. If Draper gets promoted to GM I’m done with the organization.

    He wasn’t qualified to head of amateur scouting, he’s even less qualified to be a GM.

  8. Draper’s been directing everything around amateur scouting since ‘19, the results of which have been consistently pointed to as the biggest single success of yzerman’s tenure as GM, idk why people want him out of the picture here

    It’s hard to know how he’d do as the overall GM but like, the single definitive thing he’s been tasked with he’s demolished

    I share the overall sentiment around the old boy’s club for sure, but if we’ve got another old hockey guy I’d feel a lot more compelled about seeing what comes of Draper stepping up than bringing on some recycled donkey like Treliving

    I’d feel similarly interested in Horcoff stepping up but I feel like practically speaking I feel like I’ve got less of a read on him. He’s got an encouraging vibe when talking to the camera though. Both of them seem like they’ve got their heads on straight

  9. I want to go the complete opposite direction. A numbers/ analytics guru like Pridham would be my dream hire in a scenario where Steve stays on.

    Either of those promotions are grounds for taking a 5 year break from the team. Guaranteed disasters.

  10. I don’t know if I’m misremembering, but I feel like I haven’t been impressed with Draper’s work as Director of Amateur Scouting

  12. I don’t see what a GM change would do. A different GM would still have faced the same free agent and trade possibility limitations. Yzerman has a long record of being able to pull off complex trades so I have to assume they just aren’t there.

    The problem isn’t fixed by a GM change. It’s not like he’s wasting our draft picks or refusing to let kids play. He’s constantly tried to upgrade goalie and there just haven’t been realistic top 6 centers available. Sure, a couple moves were head scratchers but that happens to every GM, this isn’t a science. I just don’t see how anyone could’ve approached things differently and had a better outcome.

  13. I’d love to see Horcoff. I think he’s done a good job with GR, and I think he’d be unafraid to do big things. Yzerman has gotten us pretty far along with drafting and developing. But it might be time to do something different and finish the job with a slightly different vision.

  14. Yzerman helped Tampa get a cup. They have been Stanley cup contenders ever since. The problems isn’t Yzerman, our core guys, or tod. It’s the bums coasting and refusing to play their role competitively. If this is because they suck, or because they are pissy about their lack of minutes, idc. They need to go and everyone needs to get a fucking grip.

  15. This is what I would put my money on if there’s a FO change this off season. I don’t think this organization is bringing in someone from the outside.

  17. On the one hand, staying in the GM role too long when he was no longer effective is what made the fanbase sour on Holland and pushed Yzerman to Tampa Bay instead.

    On the other hand, if he had stepped aside, would Yzerman have been more effective then than he has been now? 

    So who’s to say if Yzerman steps aside for Draper or Horcoff that they’ll succeed? It’s hard to say. 

  18. My preference would be Horcoff, but it’s difficult to envision him leapfrogging Draper as far as total tenure in the front office. On paper, Horcoff gets talked about being a very good communicator between players and challenging people intellectually as far as status quo goes, which I think would be a welcomed change from some of the risk aversion we’ve mostly seen from Steve. I want a bolder, more innovative approach.

  19. I know we’re all disappointed but I’m not sure either one of those two guys would be better than Yzerman as a GM.

  20. I think Stevie just needs to hand off all of the pro-contract talk part of the job. Something in that piece of the organization is very broken. And the longer it goes, the more often players will add Detroit to their No Trade Clauses in their contracts.

  26. Really wish that emotional fans would take a step back and let the team continue on their path. This whole notion screams of desperation and ignorance. Don’t push ownership to lower themselves to your level of understanding. Please leave this in the hands of experts and enjoy the ride.

  27. Nobody on that staff is ready, it’s a friends and family group and none of them have found exceptional talent that fits into a defined structure. Time to look outside, maybe we can bring in the true architect of the TB Lightening, Julien BriseBois…..

  28. Maaaaaan, I just spent about an hour trying to craft an exquisite post, citing all sorts of data, only to realize I could condense it to: Meh, I think it’ll be after next season if we miss this year and next year.

  29. All I gotta say is whatever it takes to get rid of Maltby as head pro scout. Brought to you by: my despair… Holl, Copp (first few years) , Gustafsson, Hamonic (yeah, you thought I forgot eh?)… need I go on?

  30. If Yzerman can’t do it why would Draper be able to? lol no more excuses wings

  31. Not trading for Hughes when he wanted to come here was enough to be fired in my opinion. I’ll never let that go

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