Steve Yzerman was fired on July 15. Tomorrow marks two full months since that decision, and Detroit still doesn't have a replacement.
Training camp opens Thursday, and the Red Wings are about to start the season without anyone running the front office.
That timeline is what's raising real questions around the organization right now, including from insiders like Jordan Schmaltz.
"What possible option could Detroit be waiting for that wasn't available in the past 2 months?" Schmaltz asked. "Don't you usually fire a GM with someone in mind?"
That's a fair question. Most organizations don't move on a GM without at least a short list already in place.
Detroit finished 41-31-10 last season, 16th overall, under head coach Todd McLellan, a season that still ended with real questions about direction.
This vacancy isn't some small procedural gap either. Dylan Larkin's trade request has been sitting unresolved all summer, and Alex DeBrincat's extension talks are frozen until someone actually takes the job.
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Why camp starting without a GM is such a bad look
Every major decision this organization needs to make right now, from Larkin's future to Simon Edvinsson's next contract, is stuck waiting on leadership that doesn't exist yet.
Moritz Seider has reportedly already fielded outside interest this summer, a sign that instability at the top is starting to bleed into how the rest of the league views this roster.
Two months is a long runway for any search, and it's an especially long one when a season opener and a captain's trade request are both sitting on the desk waiting.
Larkin remains in Detroit for now, still without his letter, still without clarity on where this goes.
Whoever eventually takes this job inherits a roster in limbo and a fanbase that's already noticed how long it took to get here.
Camp starts Thursday either way. Detroit just won't have anyone steering the ship when it does.
Is Detroit's front office to blame for letting this GM search drag into training camp?
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