Where did Yzerman go wrong with the rebuild?

[Nnowski]

Didn't walman get traded for future considerations that weren't even disclosed? That is essentially paying nothing to move him.


Most drafts less than half the second round picks ever play more than 100 games. Be nice if some of them hit but it is a crap shoot. If he was whiffing in the first round consistently that would be a story.

Most teams aren't picking as high as the Wings were for 5 years

 

[Retire91]

Most teams aren't picking as high as the Wings were for 5 years

the parity between picks gets pretty flat after about pick 20

 

[Nnowski]

the parity between picks gets pretty flat after about pick 20

Still, you'd hope someone who was billed as being good at drafting would hit on someone

 

[lilidk]

sometimes a Michelin star chef will have a snack while the entree is baking in the oven. If we are having this same conversation in 2026 then yes I will concede the point. His timeline was and is the long road.

Oh believe me in 2026 we still going to talk about same, team going to be better, just a little bit, not enough to complete for the cup, just for wild card

 

[flychairman]

Wings had to get rid of Walman and that second rounder to get that sweet cap relief to... uh... (scratches head) waste most of that relief on Gus and Campbell.

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

Wings had to get rid of Walman and that second rounder to get that sweet cap relief to... uh... (scratches head) waste most of that relief on Gus and Campbell.

The rumors were that Walman wasn’t exactly endearing himself to management due to some behavior behind the scenes. If you’re a bad defenseman, which Walman is, it’s hard to overcome that.

 

[flychairman]

The rumors were that Walman wasn’t exactly endearing himself to management due to some behavior behind the scenes. If you’re a bad defenseman, which Walman is, it’s hard to overcome that.

Yes, the rumors have been mentioned on this board dozens of times.

The bigger issue is using that cap relief on Gus and Campbell.

The minor issue is not trying waivers and Grand rapids tough love on walman first.

Giving up a second to get rid of walman's final two years would be logical for a contending team.

 

[wingsfannn919191]

We're still going on about walman lol at the end of the day it's an yzerfail. It'll never make sense he had to attach a 2nd to move him. GM's were surprised he was available

That 2nd rounder could have been used to draft jiri's kid lukas fischer. Yzerfail

 

[JediOrderPizza]

We're still going on about walman lol at the end of the day it's an yzerfail. It'll never make sense he had to attach a 2nd to move him. GM's were surprised he was available

That 2nd rounder could have been used to draft jiri's kid lukas fischer. Yzerfail

The 2nd traded for Walman was pick #53 which was Leo Sahlin Wallenius. Lukas Fischer went #56 to the Blues, The Wings acquired that 2nd pick used in the Walman trade from the Gibson trade where they also got Kiiskinen. Wings still had their own 2nd and selected Max Plante #47.

They still could've gotten him if they wanted to, they didn't.

 

[lilidk]

The rumors were that Walman wasn’t exactly endearing himself to management due to some behavior behind the scenes. If you’re a bad defenseman, which Walman is, it’s hard to overcome that.

He has been good until end of last season.

 

[JediOrderPizza]

He has been good until end of last season.

I actually thought he started looking rough after those Sweden games. So December and onward.

 

[AlwaysSunnyInDetroit]

We're still going on about walman lol at the end of the day it's an yzerfail. It'll never make sense he had to attach a 2nd to move him. GM's were surprised he was available

That 2nd rounder could have been used to draft jiri's kid lukas fischer. Yzerfail

how's your cousin? still in his feelings?

 

[Dotter]

I feel like the Walman fiasco was 10 years ago. I'm so over it.

I have Walman and Vrana in the same box. We'll never know what happened behind the scenes, but something bad happened.

 

[ricky0034]

Michkov would be so nice right now

it really is too bad that Yzerman decided he'd rather have Copp and Chiarot than take a shot at the best draft in almost a decade

 

[Twinger]

Our roster for the most part had just been blah. The whole time we're rebuilding we always seem right up against the cap.

The draft is what it is but I still don't really know what kind of team we're looking to build

I guess my question is for people who like the job being done at what year do you say maybe this isn't working. Realistically we'll be in that fighting for a playoff the next 2 years and then are we going to be like the wild and islanders just making the playoff and getting bumped

 

[norrisnick]

Michkov would be so nice right now

it really is too bad that Yzerman decided he'd rather have Copp and Chiarot than take a shot at the best draft in almost a decade

With talk around here you'd think signing them was Yzerman taking a shot at said draft...

 

[SirKillalot]

I feel like the Walman fiasco was 10 years ago. I'm so over it.

I have Walman and Vrana in the same box. We'll never know what happened behind the scenes, but something bad happened.

I'll take one bad Walman deal if we keep getting good deals 4 out of 5 times.
That he got the 2nd from the Gibson vs. Kiiskinen deal and basically just used that to ship Walman. It doesn't make the individual Walman deal better, but overall a smaller loss per se.

Only thing is I don't get why Yzerman felt the time pressure to send him off. Who was potentially in the works coming to have to get that cap hit off the books right away. Most likely a gamble that didn't turn out.

 

[schuelma24]

Our roster for the most part had just been blah. The whole time we're rebuilding we always seem right up against the cap.

The draft is what it is but I still don't really know what kind of team we're looking to build

I guess my question is for people who like the job being done at what year do you say maybe this isn't working. Realistically we'll be in that fighting for a playoff the next 2 years and then are we going to be like the wild and islanders just making the playoff and getting bumped

Look at the roster/contracts the next 2 years. A ton of mediocre vets coming off the books with oodles of cap space. I think Stevie has screwed up a fair amount of short term stuff, but the long term plan is getting clearer IMO. Slowly by surely the young kids are coming to and there’s going to be a ton of flexibility to augment them in the next few seasons.

 

[JediOrderPizza]

Michkov would be so nice right now

it really is too bad that Yzerman decided he'd rather have Copp and Chiarot than take a shot at the best draft in almost a decade

If you think Copp and Chiarot made us too good to land Michkov. Hah.

If anything it should've helped.

 

[Euro Twins]

But you can't quarantee 1OA franchise player. It's still a freaking lottery.

Most probably you get the damn 4th or 3rd overall, when you are league-worst. Like we did with Yzerman.

No one should build on that.

That's not even true. Historically the worst team drafts top 3 since the lottery has been implemented. It's much more rare that they end up outside top 3.

But having the worst possible season and somehow picking 4 after being the second worst and somehow ending up 6th is just wild. Like literally if there was any way we could have been screwed worse I don't know what it is.

 

[FMichael]

That's not even true. Historically the worst team drafts top 3 since the lottery has been implemented. It's much more rare that they end up outside top 3.

But having the worst possible season and somehow picking 4 after being the second worst and somehow ending up 6th is just wild. Like literally if there was any way we could have been screwed worse I don't know what it is.

The comedy of it all is how most on the main board who are critical of Yzerman overlook our crappy lottery luck.

We’re not Edmonton, Buffalo, Ottawa, or Chicago where sucking granted us top picks, or Philly , or NYR where we drop down into 1st, or 2nd overall.

 

[Oddbob]

Yes, the rumors have been mentioned on this board dozens of times.

The bigger issue is using that cap relief on Gus and Campbell.

The minor issue is not trying waivers and Grand rapids tough love on walman first.

Giving up a second to get rid of walman's final two years would be logical for a contending team.

Why do you mention Campbell? Even without the PAP stuff he signed for league minimum which means he is no different than any other player that took his spot. He isn't an example of wasted cap space as in GR he doesn't even count against the cap.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

If you think Copp and Chiarot made us too good to land Michkov. Hah.

If anything it should've helped.

Are we actually now saying SY signed Copp and Chariot with the intention of them making us worse?

Come on now...

 

[Pavels Dog]

I guess my question is for people who like the job being done at what year do you say maybe this isn't working.

Pretty simple; if/when it looks like the guys we've drafted are failing/stagnating and major improvement from within seems unlikely.

 

[SantosHalper]

Let's put it here too
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5860549/2024/10/22/nhl-front-office-rankings/
1. Dallas Stars (251)
2. Tampa Bay Lightning (187)
3. Florida Panthers (173)
4. Vegas Golden Knights (117)
5. Boston Bruins (87)
6. Colorado Avalanche (51)
7. New Jersey Devils (29)
8. Carolina Hurricanes (21)
9. New York Rangers (20)
10. Detroit Red Wings (17)

First-place vote: 10 points. Second: 7 points. Third: 5 points. Fourth: 3 points. Fifth: 1 point.