Shawn Horcoff finally had some juice in Detroit. Then Chris Ilitch stepped in front of reporters, and the Red Wings interim GM looked smaller again.
The Alex DeBrincat extension, seven years and $91 million, was Horcoff's signature move. It showed the league he has full control over hockey decisions, trades included.
A day later, Ilitch told local reporters the club is still searching for a President of Hockey Operations who will sit above him.
Elliotte Friedman put it bluntly on his podcast. “I just thought the timing was really strange,” he said.
“You get this deal done, and you empower Horcoff,” he added. “But then the next day you say, oh, we're still going to bring someone in over top of him.”
He's right, and it's a bad look. Ilitch handed his interim GM credibility and took it back a day later.
It's like promoting a manager on Monday and posting his job listing on Tuesday.
Dylan Larkin talks get harder with Horcoff's authority in question
This matters beyond optics. Horcoff is trying to move Dylan Larkin while asking for two A-quality prospects, a top-nine forward and a first-round pick.
Rival GMs now know the man across the table might not be the one running the team next season. Hardly the kind of leverage you want in a blockbuster negotiation.
The Edvinsson file isn't moving either. When Jacob Bernard-Docker was put on waivers Saturday, some fans wondered if a deal with the holdout defenseman was close.
Bernard-Docker cleared and was sent to Grand Rapids. The insider doesn't think the two are connected, and he believes Simon Edvinsson hasn't changed his mind.
Horcoff has said the Red Wings want to sign him. Wanting and getting are two very different things in this front office.
None of this looks like an organization with a clear chain of command. Since Steve Yzerman's departure, Detroit's front office has felt like a house with the blueprints still being drawn.
On the ice, it's holding together. The Red Wings have won two straight to reach 3-3-2, and DeBrincat has nine points.
So how long can Horcoff operate in limbo? Detroit opens a four-game road trip Tuesday in Seattle, and the Larkin clock is still ticking.
Ilitch says he isn't looking backwards. The problem is that everyone else in the league is now looking at Horcoff and wondering how long he'll be around to finish what he started.
Did Chris Ilitch undercut Shawn Horcoff by announcing a president of hockey operations search?
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