What we learned from Steve Yzerman's press conference on Tuesday

On the Red Wings autopsy of the season that started with prepared statements.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman entered his press conference on the defensive Tuesday, opening the availability alongside head coach Todd McClellan with a written statement that lasted around five minutes.

He committed to building through drafting and developing, he expressed optimism for younger players, he said Detroit needed more from it’s top players, and defended, again, how there wasn’t anything more he could have done at the NHL trade deadline.

Yzerman also noted it was his responsibility to fix things, to get things right, but also noted how the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens didn’t make deadline moves and happen to be playing the playoffs right now.

Yzerman’s tone set the mood of the 52-minute press conference, this wasn’t a biopsy of one season but rather an autopsy of the longest playoff drought in franchise history — nine straight seasons, and six of those with Yzerman in charge.

McClellan, who was brought in at mid-season, served as the good cop during the media session. McClellan was the one at the podium there to defend his boss and speak with actual conviction, the one that provided more answers and jumped in at times like a well-placed lawyer at a cross-examination.

It all felt like a public response to what Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said last week, how the locker room and the team “didn't do anything. We didn't gain any momentum from the trade deadline. Guys were kind of down about it."

Yzerman said he wasn’t addressing Larkin’s comments with his opening statement — even if it felt that way — and that the two had spoken privately about it, that it was Larkin’s information to share at some point or not.

From that opening statement the conversation went on a fascinating journey between whether Yzerman would consider spending big in free agency, how he’d handle prospects, whether he regretted the Jake Walman trade — “no and no” — and was asked if he should still have a job this time next year if Detroit’s playoff drought reaches a decade.

At one point, while McClellan was answering a question, Yzerman was asked to comment on the same thing by the Red Wings in-house reporter, and the GM admitted he hadn’t been paying attention and was daydreaming, then asked for the question to be repeated.

It’s kind of the reality now with Yzerman press conferences right now, which typically happen three to four times a season. A media contingent that typically consists of six or seven reporters swells to close to 25, and Yzerman gives a collection of non-answers and generalities.

If you want to go watch the whole thing, go ahead. I’m also sure someone else has already tweeted/pulled out all the good quotes.

So instead, as I like do to, here is the list of things I learned from the media session, with some additional reporting from outside the media session.

• The Red Wings have fired goalie coach Alex Westlund and video coach LJ Scarpace. They have not hired their replacements yet. From my understanding this was more of McClellan’s decision than Yzerman’s, and I know of at least one NHL goalie coach that was reached out to by Detroit who turned down an offer to work with the Red Wings.

• Westlund’s firing turns him into the fall-man for how the Red Wings have handled goaltending in recent years. Detroit has made failing bets on Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso, and this season faltered with Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon before adding Petr Mrázek to the mix. It’s a mix of a journeymen what-ifs, and as Yzerman said himself, the Red Wings eventually need to find a solution in net.

• When it comes to that solution, Sebastian Cossa doesn’t feel like an answer for next season based on Yzerman’s comments or actions. Yzerman did admit a big playoff could help Cossa’s NHL case, but I personally would expect another season, at least to start, of Cossa in Grand Rapids.

• The Red Wings need more leaders. They’ve said this now in various ways, and McClellan mentioned other payers other than Larkin should be speaking for the group more often. Yzerman mentioned Moritz Seider and Alex DeBrincat when discussing this, while also acknowledging that it’s something the Red Wings need to develop.

• Yzerman also wants the team to be tougher and stronger. McClellan added that part of that is on the coaches to put the players through more adversity early on in the season.

• McLellan said “this team in my opinion — I was here for three months — this team was good enough to make the playoffs.” But when they got “shitty, we got deeper into it” instead of pulling themselves out of the problems.

• Draft and develop is how Yzerman is preaching patience now, he pushed back when asked about AHL veterans getting NHL opportunities first, noting that Carter Mazur was called up this season and is still a big part of the future.

• Yzerman and Patrick Kane have both expressed interest in a Detroit reunion for the pending UFA.

• Perhaps the defining quote of the presser from Yzerman: “I know we have world class ownership here, it’s incumbent upon the hockey ops department, led by me, to do a good job and make sure we don’t become a perpetual losing team. And you wanted a rebuild 10 years ago after 25 years in the playoffs, we’re living it now and it’s not a lot of fun. And we’re gonna stick with it and eventually this organization will get there.”