DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Despite not making the NHL playoffs in the first season under new head coach Derek Lalonde, Executive Vice President and general manager Steve Yzerman saw several positives in the 2022-23 season. Detroit finished at 35-27-10 with 80 points which was a six-point improvement from the year before.

Yzerman says, “We really need to get better in every area. We gotta be a more physical team and a more competitive team. That doesn’t mean I gotta go out and get some 6-foot-6, 250 (pounder) to go out and beat people up. You have to win puck battles, block shots, win face-offs and all those little things that make team more competitive. We have to improve in all those areas.”

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Even with the improvement, Detroit finished seventh in the Atlantic Division but improved in goals per game from goals per game (2.93) from 25th to 23rd. They also finished better in goals against per game (3.33), and moved up 14 spots to 18th on the penalty kill (78.5).

With some injuries in the season, Detroit still finished where Yzerman thought they would this year. So in the offseason, especially when the NHL Free Agency starts in July, he will be looking to upgrade the roster. He says, “I look at the group and there’s players that would help us I’d like to sign. The issue is there’s 31 other teams and the list isn’t really that long. That makes it challenging. I sit here today and we talk about these players, know who they are and kind of have an idea if these guys would be a good fit for us.”

It was the free agent signings that helped Detroit this year noted by Yzerman. He quoted, “I really like the veterans that we brought in this year. I liked their attitude and character. They helped our team on and off the ice. I’ll continue to try and add those types of players to help us as we build a young team that compete for playoffs and Stanley Cups hopefully.”

He finishes by saying, “There were a lot of good things this year. I look at the big picture, I’m confident we’re going in the right direction. I wish we were further ahead; everybody wishes we were further ahead. But there are a lot of positive things.”