Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - The Detroit Red Wings Look Like A MESS… But Are They?? w/TSN's Darren Dreger | BB Clips

Episode Date: September 20, 2026

Boomer, Pinder and Rhett are joined by TSN’s Darren Dreger to dive into everything happening with the Detroit Red Wings. From Calgary, it sure looks like there’s a whole lot of dysfunction in Detroit right now, with the Dylan Larkin situation hanging over the organization and Shawn Horcoff taking over as interim GM after an extensive search failed to produce a permanent hire. But is it really as bad inside the organization as it looks from the outside? Dreger explains why he doesn’t necessarily see Detroit as the disaster some are making it out to be, pointing to Horcoff as a quality hockey mind with experienced people around him and supportive ownership. The guys break down what comes next for the Red Wings, the uncertainty surrounding Larkin and whether Detroit is actually in trouble — or if everyone needs to pump the brakes on the dysfunction talk.Video Link: https://youtu.be/IZxq5QJbxRc#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #redwingsCHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From here, it sure seems like there's dysfunction in Detroit. There's the on-ice stuff where they were in a spot, then they missed, and then, okay, now Larkin wants a trade. And he was the media stuff yesterday where did he really think he was going to get traded without the word coming out that he wanted to be traded? They have a GM, sort of. It's taken all summer. Summers over. From here, it looks dysfunctional. Is it as bad as it looks from the outside? No, it's not. I mean, Sean Horcoff is a quality hockey man. He's got excellent wingmen in Chris Draper,

Dan Cleary is another one. So they've got solid hockey ops people there. What they also have is the owner in Chris Illich, who likes the idea of Adana and an analytics-driven hockey operations group, right? And obviously, that person, those people didn't surface in a timely enough fashion for illage to go that direction in a full spearheaded way.

Now, you do have to be also reflective. Eisenman got fired in early July, and they didn't announce it until what, mid-July? And I just kind of dangled out there for a while. So ownership, you don't just fire Steve Eisenman, an iconic figure in Detroit. You know, if you're making that determination as an owner, which they did, you've been thinking about this for months, for months. You know, and I would have thought at that point when they pull the trigger that they're already down the road,

or at least they've initiated a process with that hiring firm, which they brought on board. So that's where part of the criticism, I think, is well earned. And then you'll also take away the, power from, like Sean Horkoff is trying to do his best as an interim general manager. And that label was just bestowed on him recently. But he was acting as a GM with shackles on. You know, agents tell us that he wasn't able to negotiate signings with any form of term, like a year or two, that sort of stuff.

And now those restrictions have more or less been removed. But, you know, Chris Illich is putting the rubber stamp on anything. But it's a curious one. I don't know what the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to look like. We know that John Chica comes from an analytics background. You know, I met with him and Matt Sundin on, I guess it was Wednesday down at their practice facility. An intriguing meeting because you've got somebody with some real hockey presence in Sundin, you know, augmenting what you have in John Chica who put his fingerprints all over the Leafs.

They didn't leave one position that they didn't touch goaltaining, defense, and forwards. I mean, it's a much, maybe that's how it works. Maybe there's a healthy world where the data analytics people work in tandem with hockey people. And Matt has a lot to learn. He's never been in hockey brass in his life. He's just decorated player, a former captain. But it feels like Detroit's, if that's the way they have to go, then I think they'd be doing themselves a disservice. if they dispatch Sean Horkoff for Chris Draper or Cleary along the way.

I just wonder what the heck happened from the second week of April when you knew Detroit was cooked until July. Well, like you say, it was, and it was like, I think the day was July 22nd. Like it's three months. I ran more months. Yes, I guess like it's crazy. It's very curious. And I wonder about Steve Eisenman. When he went into Detroit, it was a homecoming and he was one of the brilliant minds around the juggernaut teams in Tampa Bay.

And he was going to turn things around. it sure feels like a lot of that shine is gone. I don't know, he'll get a hockey job if he wants it, but I just wonder how desirable or where is he now on the pecking order of being a NHL GM. Yeah, I mean, we're going to find that out. Like most of those men, Brad Trill Living, Tom Fitzgerald, Steve Eisenman,

the idea of a recharge is a healthy one, right? And most of them are embracing it. Yes, they'll have advisory roles. They'll do what they do internationally, although maybe that ship has sailed for Eisenman who's been there and done that. He clearly doesn't have to work. So it is interesting to see. And just a quick shout out because we're so quick to focus on,

you know, we spent a lot of time talking about Connor Hallibuck, understandably. I'm not judging man versus man here. Connor Hellbuck made a business decision to withhold his services. And for that, he's been suspended. You know, it doesn't matter. They don't start getting paid until the regular season. maybe he has a change of heart. Dylan Larkin does the same thing.

He requests a trade, but, you know, says, look, I'm going to come back. I'm going to let new management see if they can remedy my situation. In the meantime,

I'm going to be there for my teammates. That's an interesting and seems like a more healthy approach for me. Oh, 100%. You know, and I think it's also a show to the rest of the league that you're a hockey player.

That's what matters first, is you're a good teammate and you're a hockey player. The business side of it, we can all understand that. Connor Hallibuck doesn't have to love Winnipeg for the rest of his career. I get it. Brady didn't love Ottawa anymore.

So, okay, that's fine. They find a way and he ends up in Florida. But, you know, it's interesting to compare one star versus another. Is it considered tampering or just, I don't think if it matters, he would never disclose it. But like with Hellebuck, it's like, why hasn't the agent figured something out?

And like, they're not stupid. These guys are probably the, there's some of the smartest guys in the game, to be quite honest with you. Like, they're there steering the ships here. Yeah. How does the agent not have an indicator? And how don't you, I mean,

Connor Helllbuck could decide to handle it how he's handled it on his own and might not have listened to his agent. I don't know. But it sure seems to me that, if I'm Connor and I talk to me, I want out of here. Okay. Well, where's a spot? Well, these five teams don't have starting goaltenders.

There's no sense talking to Boston. They have one, right? So, okay, well, I'm going to, as an agent, I feel like, well, I will go talk to the teams that might be interested. Yeah. And get a sense of what. And then I'm, they're smart enough to know, well, this is a decent return or it's not. And then why would you release the statement, again, unless it's Connor's doing? or you're either trying to hold the jet's feet to the fire

or it's a bad mistake. It's a bad read on a situation. Because if Goner Hellebuck came to camp, didn't put that stupid statement out, we'd be like, well, he's there. And nothing would have changed for it. He would be playing and he could go every day. Kevin, you trade me?

Kevin, you trade me? Kevin, you're going to trade me? Well, and look, I mean, they do a good job of protecting him from media in Winnipegis, right? Like, you know, the media people there just go, yeah, Connor's not available today.

You know, he talks in training camp, he doesn't answer questions. That's fine. And then the media buzzes off until the next time he talks and doesn't answer the questions. But he's there and he's playing

and maybe bettering his position of a trade based on his play. But to your point, look, I mean, I don't know what we want to call it, but there wouldn't be many bigger trades where the agent doesn't know that that team has been front and center for a long time. Now, the general managers don't always pull the agent into the inner workings.

Sometimes they have to because of the trade protection and all of that, obviously. But yeah, it's, I didn't understand the statement. I thought it was a fake newsday, to be honest, because we all knew that Hellebuck had requested a trade. You know, I mean, we all knew this. So for him to issue the statement at the time that he did, it was just like, okay, well, let's just remind everybody that this hasn't happened. And maybe that turns a little bit more of the negative spotlight on the Jets.

And I just don't think it worked.