I think my point is that expectations change as the season unfolds. I can't speak for anybody else, but 1) I've completely abandoned any notion of the lottery helping the team, and 2) lots of teams in various sports completely clean house if there isn't major progress in 3-5 years. I'm not saying Detroit isn't in a better place than when Yzerman took over - they absolutely are. But when your roster now has a top 5 offense and you're still holding down a Wild Card spot in March, you definitely need to find a way to get it done and reach that next milestone.
Trade deadline's not necessarily the time to 'get it done' though.
Yzerman said in his presser that they were having discussions on different options, but that they couldn't justify the cost for what any particular target would bring to the team. Without knowing any details about who was available and what the asking prices were, I have to take him at face value on that.
So I can't say I'm disappointed that he didn't overpay for someone that wouldn't have a high impact. He also mentioned the trade deadline was a little bit like the junior leagues, where you have a handful of teams at the top in an arms race going for broke and selling the farm to load up. We just saw a couple nights ago what an elite team firing on all cylinders looks like in Colorado, and we're not close to that at this point. And most of the teams at the top improved themselves in some fashion. So now's not the time to 'go for it'.
Being in a playoff spot in March and having the wheels fall off in the final stretch, in part because the team relies too much on Larkin, is all valuable information. It informs on what the team is lacking and what it needs. I have no doubt Yzerman is taking note of everything. If the off-season comes and goes and no changes are made, then some criticism will be warranted.
As to your comments on timelines, I can't help but feel there are a lot of short memories around here. Let's remember the absolutely putrid position the team was in when Yzerman took over. And he was candid at the time that it would be a lengthy rebuilding process because he was committed to doing it right and not grasping for shortcuts. If I'm recalling right, their outlook to return to contention was more on the decade timescale. I'd say being on the playoff bubble with a top 3 prospect pool in the league 5 years into the Yzerplan is a pretty damn good accomplishment. And as you've alluded to, he's done that with horrible lottery luck. Getting what looks to be stars (possibly even superstars) three years in a row in Seider, Raymond, and Edvinsson, while never picking higher than 4th, was an absolute masterstroke.