Detroit Red Wings
Fedorov Rates Red Wings Low
Former Detroit star unimpressed by old team
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.”
They won’t be inviting you, Sergei……I hope that he is not wondering why his number hasn’t been retired….
A correct assessment by one of the greatest Red Wings ever.
Disagree with the strong drafting synopsis. Other than a handful of first round easy selections, they were people that were on every team’s board. Draper, who has been a scout for over a decade, has not drafted anybody in later rounds to help this team. That is unacceptable. I don’t know, maybe he has another one of his sons he can draft instead of adding someone that actually might help in the next draft. SY really needs to help himself out by clearing out the front office of all the leftover Holland minions that did nothing for Holland , and are doing nothing now. The proof is in the pudding
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The man who put the I in team and became a Duck. Fedorov can suck it.
Anyone that follows the game/team (excluding band wagoners and those that expect finger snap magic to suddenly create a championship) realizes Holland sat on his ass while the defense retired and did nothing to replace them as the league changed dramatically with a salary cap. Yzerman walked into an empty cupboard and is filling the shelves strategically. Players like Chelios, Rafalski, Lidstrom, Kronwall and Stuart became Quincey, Ericsson, Dekeyser, Lashoff, Sproul and Ouellette. Some seasoning of Ian White and Mike Commodore didnt help with a side of Babcock staying too long. C’mon. The Wings have had to come back a loooooong way.