I've read all the same articles about Vinik that you have. He is a business man with an ego. Who says he holds people under him accountable. Will he take kindly to a bidding war? Or will he think working for him should be enough and will he feel (like some here feel), that all the other people in the organization (most of whom Yzerman brought in) like Briseboise and Murrary, etc. are enough?
He was a fan of the Bruins. He bought the Lightning because the Bruins weren't going up for sale and they were the best business deal among the teams that were coming up for sale.
For those of you making it sound like Yzerman has the dream job in TB where everyone loves him -- you have short memories. I could embarrass some of you if I wanted (but I won't) by directing you all to the HF archives where a few short years ago, many TB fans were calling for Yzerman's head because he wouldn't bring a washed up Vinny Lecavalier back. Remember that? There's a bit more loyalty for Yzerman in Detroit.
@garmonbozia Thank you for the best post of the thread. You made good points while staying on topic and without resorting to insults or conspiracy theories.
While I disagree with some points, you make some good ones.
I will say being under contract for one more year does not mean that the last year is never broken if another opportunity arises. Although you could make the case that the big push will come next year.
Marian Illitch is still around. The same Marian Illitch who said Steve Yzerman was like a son to her. Yzerman is connected to the entire Illitch family (who were ever involved with the Red Wings). If you trace back where all the talk came from (aside from the fans) it was linked to Chris Illitch. I think you're also underestimating that the Illitch's have a brand new arena to fill and their popularity is going the other way.
Put yourself in Chris Illitch's shoes. A blind man can see what he is aiming for. Apologies to Kris Draper, but he is not Steve Yzerman -- not with the fans. If Yzerman is brought in, the fan base won't even care if they don't win in the next 3 years, because there is faith that Yzerman knows what he is doing. Take a stroll around. Angry Wings fans tweeting that if only the Wings hadn't let Yzerman get away the Wings would have Kucherov, Kuznetsov, Namestnikov, etc, instead of Riley Sheehan, etc. Yzerman has a built in credibility that buys time. Wings fans are furious at the idea of having Holland around and his high priced contracts for mediocre vets.
You mention Scotty Bowman, he himself was absolutely shocked that Yzerman left Detroit for the TB job because he never thought it would happen. Bowman thought Yzerman would be GM in Detroit for a reason. And btw, Vinik needed Yzerman to be given the vote of approval by Bowman so maybe too much is being made of the great Vinik/Yzerman bond. You can find quite a few articles around the time the TB GM position was up, and you'll see a bunch of articles about how it was believed Yzerman withdrew his name because he didn't feel it was the right place for him. Was it money? Negotiating?
And again, I'm sorry, but you all underestimate the power of money. I don't think Yzerman is leaving TBL simply based on emotion. It will be money. It's always about the money. The strongest argument for Yzerman staying in TB is because of the tax situation in Florida which I believe is one of the reasons why he went to TB in the first place. But if the Illitch's make it a financially better offer for Yzerman taking into account the tax situation, he will be gone.
This is all "You have no idea how much the Red Wings want him," without addressing any real reason he'd have to leave.
Money? I really doubt Jeff Vinik is going to be outbid when it comes to keeping the guy the franchise's success can be most directly linked to.
And with Vinny, I think you'd be surprised at how many people supported that decision, even at the time. Hell, even in the MSL debacle, which was much more polarizing, most fans sided with Yzerman. But those really don't have anything to do with anything.
The main point you continually ignore is, why would a guy so noted for his competitive spirit leave a contender (that he built) to essentially start over? I could understand you saying, "When Yzerman gets fired, Detroit is gonna try to get him." But you're saying Yzerman is going to leave after he wins a cup. As if that cup is going to satisfy him. If that were the case, he'd have ridden off into the sunset after his playing career finished.