And it doesn't really matter what I was talking about as the point remains. The people talking about it care enough to be talking about it.
Value at time A vs time B is largely irrelevant.
It's just shifting the distraction away from someone expected to talk to the media every day to someone who talks to the media three times a year.
The issue is letting it become a distraction in the first place. The only reason Vrana became an issue is because Lalonde wouldn't play him upon his return. He can obviously play as Berube has discovered. Strangely Chief didn't put a ton of stock on a handful of AHL games after 2-3 months of inactivity, yet Lalonde has pointed at them numerous times post trade. "Look! Even GR scratched him! It's not just me!"
Paying another team to take a serviceable player because your coach couldn't (wouldn't?) work with him is not a great showing. But since he's not LFG that's fine...
The problem with what you are discussing here is that you want the Wings to get out in front of it and make it so it isn't a distraction in the first place.
The only way that Yzerman or Lalonde could have prevented this discussion is to violate the rules of the PAP and air out their dirty laundry in the post trade deadline presser. But all that would do is create a different distraction, violate trust, result in fines and punishments, and destroy a reputation making agents and prospective players view the organization through a nasty lens.
So would you rather have what happened happen again, or have Yzerman come out and say "Vrana abused our trust, we suspected a controlled substance abuse problem, he was a distraction within the locker room and one that we wanted to rid ourselves of at any cost."
Now this is all conjecture because we don't know the truth, but think long and hard about how real adults behave within the confines of operating an organization and business. Not the fantasy land where everything can be done without repercussions.