ESPN was rough on Detroit in comparing rebuilding efforts around the league:
NHL rebuild rankings: Which teams are closest to contending?
"Draft pick forecast: The Red Wings own all their picks through the fourth round in the next three drafts, and own the Islanders' second-round pick in 2019 and the Golden Knights' third-rounder in 2020.
"The strategy: Let us know when you locate one.
"The Red Wings missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1983. That futility ended the following season when
Steve Yzerman arrived in Motown, but there isn't anything resembling that kind of transformative player on the Red Wings' roster or in their system. The Gustav Nyquist generation has yielded to the
Dylan Larkin generation, which will yield to the Rasmussen and Zadina generation up front.
"But the foundational defenseman the Red Wings have been seeking since the retirement of
Nicklas Lidstrom still eludes them. At the very least, coach Jeff Blashill has said he will defer to younger players when it comes to ice time if a roster spot is between a newbie and a veteran. "I say that because we need different results, and part of having different results is improving internally, and that can come with new guys being in spots," he told the Detroit Free Press.
"
Is it working? It's a roster with more players older than 34 (six) than under the age of 24 (five), so to call this a team in transition would be putting it mildly. It's also a team that currently has $2.828 million in cap space and has entrusted the general manager who got them in this pickle (Ken Holland) with getting them out of it.
"Estimated return to relevance: This is a team that needs to get worse before it gets better, purging the roster of veterans and cap space, and then hoping a combination of the draft and shrewd veteran acquisitions can position it as a contender. But the current management hasn't inspired much confidence to that end. There's way too much loyalty to veterans past their expiration date or, failing that, an overvaluing of them."