7 Candidates To Replace Steve Yzerman As Red Wings New GM

The Steve Yzerman era is over in the Motor City. The Detroit Red Wings are looking for a new general manager after the franchise icon stepped down from his head of hockey operations role, and moved into a senior advisory position. 

The search is on for a replacement. Insider Elliotte Friedman said on NHL Tonight that "They will cast a wide net, they will give their internal candidates, you're talking about people like Kris Draper and Shawn Horcoff, they will give them the opportunity, but they are also going to go outside."

With that, let's have a look at a list of seven candidates that could be in the running for the job in Detroit, starting with the internal candidates that Friedman named.

• Kris Draper, Red Wings assistant GM
• Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings assistant GM

Draper spent 17 of his 20 NHL seasons with the Red Wings, and won 4 Stanley Cups with the club. He was hired into the Detroit front office in 2011, immediately following his retirement as a player, and has been there ever since. He's been an AGM since 2023.

Horcoff has been in the Wings front office in a variety of roles since 2016, and was named an AGM in 2022.

Moving on now to several currently employed candidates with other teams, who have had their names up for other GM openings since the season ended:

• Kevyn Adams, former Sabres GM, now Bruins senior avisor
• Scott White, Stars assistant GM
• Ryan Martin, Rangers associate GM

Adams just took the job in the Bruins' front office earlier this week, so it might not be cool for him to bail on them this quickly, but in hindsight, the job he did in building the Buffalo Sabres now looks pretty good, as the team he assembled soared to new heights this season, albeit after he was fired. 

Then there are two candidates who are free from obligations to another team right now, and could be looking for their next opportunity. And one of them is a mighty intriguing possibility:

Would Shanahan want the Red Wings job?

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) July 15, 2026

• Brendan Shanahan: He is a legendary Red Wings player. He was part of three Stanley Cup triumphs with the team in the late '90s/early '00s and spent nine years there. After his playing career, he eventually served as the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2014 through 2025 until parting ways after his contract expired. He's been working in an advisory capacity for the NHL hockey operations department and serving as the leader of a review of men's junior hockey in Ontario for Hockey Canada.   
• Evan Gold, former Bruins assistant GM: He just announced this week that he was leaving his post with Boston, effective August 1st. He was a strong candidate for a few of the GM openings this cycle, including with the Leafs. 

The Red Wings search for a new hockey boss in on in earnest.