Yzerman's MO has been to not trade anything of value for pieces who aren't going to be in the organization for awhile.
Debrincat is the one big move he's really made on the trade market where he had to give anything significant.
100%. Nobody will remember they signed and/or overpaid for Merrill, Holl, Compher, etc. Thise guys were always going to be filler type players until kids were ready. He’s also stayed true to his word, that when a kid earns his spot, they’ll make room on the roster.
No big time UFAs we’re ever going to sign with a rebuild, and they literally didn’t have the assets to be involved in trades like let’s say NJ has been able to make. They’re finally reaching that point now, and we will see more core type trades, but they still have about 2 years, where he can still play around with bringing filler players in and out.
He’s given very limited assets away, yet was still able to build a roster where the kids can be protected somewhat, instead of just throwing them to the wolves. That’s a strategy compared to let’s say Buffalo and Ottawa, who’ve ruined so many young players, or have been forced to trade young players.
The only so-called bad thing about how they’ve built this team with average to above average veterans for their kids to play with is… maybe they haven’t had picks as high as they would have losing more.. I’d argue, they’re not ruining kids though, or having to trade top prospects because they’re not working out, etc, etc.
Buffalo has wasted so many young players in comparison. Just look at Kasper right now. Instead of being thrown to the wolves playing 2C with no protection, he has 14 points in his last 17 games playing with Larkin and Raymond at 20 years old.
When we look back at how they did a rebuild, teams are going to try replicating it. You can’t go through life waiting to win the lottery. It’ll take 10+ years. Ask Colorado, NJ, TOR and the Oilers. It’s much more fun having people laugh at your draft picks and a few years later watching those players become stars.