Steve Yzerman's failure exposed at NHL trade deadline.

April 19th of 2019 is likely a day that many hockey fans in the city of Detroit remember rather fondly as it was the day that former Detroit Red Wings superstar Steve Yzerman was named as the organization's newest general manager, usurping the position that had previously been occupied by former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland.

Yzerman was welcomed as a savior on that day with his track record of success with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization leading many to believe that it would only be a matter of time before he replicated that same success with the Red Wings. The Red Wings were in a less than enviable position at the time after some questionable trades and signings from Holland, but Yzerman would fix it all thanks to what fans were affectionately calling the "Yzerplan."

Fast forward to March 8th of 2025 and the "Yzerplan" has failed to lead the Red Wings to any kind of meaningful success with the team failing to make the playoffs in every single season of Yzerman's tenure thus far. While it is true that the Red Wings remain in the playoff hunt this season, they currently find themselves well out of a Wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference trailing behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens with only 66 points on the season thus far.

There was perhaps however no clearer example of Yzerman's less than successful tenure as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings than the National Hockey League's trade deadline on Friday, a trade deadline that exposed what may very well go down as one of Yzerman's greatest failures in his current role. Strangely enough the Red Wings weren't even involved in the trade that made Yzerman look so bad, with it instead being a deal between the Edmonton Oilers and the San Jose Sharks.

On Friday, the Oilers acquired defenseman Jake Walman from the Sharks but the trade would come at a significant cost for the Oilers, with the organization having to give up both forward Carl Berglund as well as a conditional 2026 first round pick in order to acquire Walman's services.

Walman is of course a name very familiar to fans of the Red Wings as he quickly became a fan favorite during his time as a defenseman for the Red Wings, thanks in large part to his patented "Gritty" celebrations after scoring a goal.

So how did the Sharks end up prying Walman away from the Red Wings in order to get themselves a first round pick on Friday? Well just prior to the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Yzerman stunned fans in Detroit and hockey fans across the National Hockey League when he traded Walman to the San Jose Sharks for.... well nothing.

Not only did Yzerman fail to get any kind of return from the Sharks in the Walman deal, but he also included a second round pick in the deal in order to get the Sharks to take on Walman's contract. That's right, Steve Yzerman traded away a defenseman who would net the Sharks a first round pick + Carl Berglund and had to pay a premium for the privilege to do it.

Walman is currently in the second year of a 2 year deal, a contract that was signed by Steve Yzerman himself, one that carried an average annual value of $3.4 million per season.

Making matters even worse for Yzerman is the fact that Walman has seemingly excelled as a member of the Sharks since being dealt, this in spite of the fact that the Sharks are one of the worst teams in the entire NHL this season. Walman has 6 goals and 26 assists through 50 games this season but, despite his season being limited by injury, that is still good enough for a career high in points of 32, far outpacing his previous career high of just 21.

Yzerman's play on the ice during his career as a Red Wing has earned him considerable leeway from fans in Detroit who have remained steadfast in their belief in the "Yzerplan" however it seems as though another year of missing the playoffs combined with the horrible mismanagement of Jake Walman may prove to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.