Fedorov Rates Red Wings Low

Sergei Fedorov was a star for the Detroit Red Wings. He won three Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy while wearing the winged wheel.

He looks from afar as his old team is missing the playoffs for a ninth straight season and offers a Shania Twain-like take on the Red Wings.

They don’t impress him much.

“They seem stuck,” Fedorov told Russian website RG.org. “They have a good coach (in Todd McLellan), but no strong goalie tandem and not enough key players.

Gretzky, Ovi, Crosby… and Datsyuk? 🐐

Sergei Fedorov ranks his all-time greats, breaks down Ivan Demidov’s path, and explains how he would cash in today.https://t.co/tzWLXE4At0 pic.twitter.com/Tea3JiKySG

— RG (@TheRGMedia) April 10, 2025

“It’s a young team without veterans, and that makes the rebuild even harder.”

Fedorov also made it clear that he doesn’t like the make up of the Red Wings defensive corps.

“I don’t see three or four strong, mobile defensemen there,” Fedorov said.

Red Wings Need To Make Bold Move

He did save some love for his old captain, current Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.

“Steve Yzerman is doing solid work through the draft,” Fedorov said, “but it takes more than that.”

There is imperical evidence to support Fedorov’s thesis. The two teams that are claiming the NHL’s Eastern Conference Wild Card playoff spots ahead of Detroit both made bold trades to help move the needle.

Montreal acquired high-scoring winger Patrik Laine. Ottawa went for Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Linus Ullmark and a power forward in center Dylan Cozens. The Red Wings unsuccessfully sought to land Cozens before the Senators were able to close the deal.

“Their last right-shooting forward left for a bigger contract, and that didn’t help either,” Fedorov said, noting David Perron’s free-agent move to Ottawa last summer after two seasons in Detroit in which he was scoring a combined 41 goals.

No Formal Relationship Between Fedorov, Red Wings

Fedorov coached CSKA Moscow to successive Gagarin Cup KHL titles. He hasn’t been employed by the Red Wings since leaving the team as a free agent in 2003 and doesn’t foresee that situation changing.

Sergei Fedorov. So fluid. Even when he loses the handle. Such finesse. #LGRW #RedWings pic.twitter.com/wln1KLkQ26

— The Hockey Samurai 侍 (@hockey_samurai) December 3, 2021

“I don’t really have any formal relationship with them right now,” Fedorov said. My mom visits my brother (Fedor) there sometimes—they live in northern Michigan (Harbor Springs). But I haven’t had time to visit (Detroit) myself.

“Not because of any hard feelings—just busy. If they invited me, I’d come.”