​Steve Yzerman’s tenure as the Detroit Red Wings’ general manager is over.Considering his status as a franchise icon, that news has been met with surprise, but not without understanding, by hockey fans on social media.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDetroit announced Wednesday that Yzerman will step down as president and GM to become an adviser to owner Chris Ilitch, ending a seven-year tenure as the Red Wings’ top brass dating back to April 2019.Despite taking over one of the NHL’s worst teams when his tenure began, Yzerman built the Red Wings into a winning team by the end of his reign. However, he never got them to the playoffs, continuing a 10-year playoff drought that caused some hockey fans to sour on his tenure.More: Candidates to replace Yzerman as Red Wings’ GM“We all wanted Yzerman to succeed but 7 years is a long time to not even make the playoffs,” wrote JB (@RedBarSystems) in response to the Red Wings’ X account announcing the news. “Find the next GM, let them trade Larkin, and start the rebuild again.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYzerman’s demotion by promotion comes after public disagreement with captain Dylan Larkin led to the Waterford native demanding a trade.That move has not been made, but Larkin did present a list of teams he’s willing to play for earlier this summer. He has played all 808 games and scored all 643 points of his career in a Red Wings uniform, but made the playoffs only once, his rookie year in 2016.The Detroit Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman, left, and Head Coach Todd McLellan speak during an end-of-the-season press conference at Little Caesars Arena, in Detroit, April 23, 2026.“Absolutely for the best IMO!” wrote OhNyquist, whose YouTube commentaries focus on NHL news, and often his hometown Red Wings.Some fans are pointing across Woodward to Comerica Park for an example of how to process Yzerman’s firing.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Yzerman Era will be looked back on like the Avila Era,” wrote @CalicoJoeMLB. “He got some of the pieces of the future onto the roster, but never got the results needed to stay.”Al Avila, former Detroit Tigers general manager from 2015 to 2022, posted one winning season in his tenure as he rebuilt an aging roster and tried to restock the prospect cupboard with draftees. Though he never broke through, the Tigers made the playoffs the past two seasons, losing in the AL Divisional Series both times in five games.Still, some fans and even pundits within the sport are expressing their shock at the move.“Yzerplan: EXPIRED,” wrote Pete Blackburn, whose What Chaos podcast discusses NHL news.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Wow, they actually did it,” wrote Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports.The timing of Yzerman’s transition away from general manager comes in the middle of the offseason, after the NHL Draft, development camp and free agency frenzy have all concluded.It’s an odd timing, precisely becau