Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman quips about Brad Marchand's 6-year Panthers extension

Brad Marchand continues to be an example for the rest of the league to follow. His six-year, $31.5 million contract with the Florida Panthers will keep him contracted to play in the league till age 43 season.

Brad Marchand was traded ahead of the deadline to the Panthers in a league-shaking deal from the Boston Bruins. In his final year of contract, Marchand scored 51 points during the regular season, but it was his potency during the playoffs scoring 20 points in 23 games that helped Florida earn back-to-back Cups. He showcased his longevity that others would like to follow.

At least for Detroit Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman, he surely looks to get the most out of captain Dylan Larkin. He was also asked about players like Larkin and Alex DeBrincat reaching their prime in their late 20s and the plan the team has for them.

"Well, Brad Marchand at 37 just signed a six-year contract. So I've got Dylan for another 15 years, I figure. We got plenty of time. We're trying to build around that same group of guys. They've got a lot of years ahead of them—which isn't comforting at all to anybody—but I'm not concerned with the age of Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat.

"They're great athletes. They train hard. They take good care of themselves and they're very motivated. Believe it or not, we are trying to improve our team. We are trying to get in the playoffs. We keep adding these younger players," Yzerman said (Timestamp: 16:38)

Both Larkin, 28, and DeBrincat, 27, are important pieces of the puzzle for the Red Wings. In 734 games played in his career, Larkin has scored 576 points for the Motor City team, with an average 19:28 time on the ice. Meanwhile, DeBrincat has 517 points from 614 games played through his career, 137 of them for Detroit after his move from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Steve Yzerman makes feelings known about 84 game schedule

The NHL and NHLPA agreed to extend the regular season by two games starting next season in a recent joint address. The two added games will provide balance to the divisional games, which currently follow a rotation system with teams playing each opponent thrice and some opponents four times.

Steve Yzerman is optimstic about the increase in the number of games, although he mentioned the workload management that teams will have to do as the regular season wares on.

"You're always weighing how many games your veteran players need to play, the guys that are knocking on the door, the call-ups, and then those players really trying to push to make the team. It’s going to be hard to get everybody in a reasonable number of games with four. That’s the downside. But we’ll manage it. I think the 84-game season makes a lot of sense," Yzerman said (Timestamp: 19:11).

The Red Wings missed the playoffs by 5 points last season, finishing two places outside the wild card spots. They will hope to get better this season before the 84-game schedule starts next year.