Where did Yzerman go wrong with the rebuild?

[Oddbob]

You should still be able to avoid a DNQ by year 4-5. I will give a GM a mulligan of even
winning a round but not being one of 16 freaking teams? Not giving any mulligans for that.

Yeah, if the goal was just to make the playoffs they could have done that by now. Yzerman doesn't want one and done type stuff.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

More than one person with connections to the team, have said that Walman alienated himself from some of the Wings locker room after his injury and while Larkin was out with his injury. I doubt highly Steve just traded him for some very small issue. The 2nd is a head scratcher as even if he was a problem it seems that there were teams who would have just claimed him anyways. The Trouba trade obviously was also part of it, and I get from Trouba being upset with Drury for the handling of it, that Drury may have made Steve believe as though that trade was a basically done and ready to go.

In my eyes, the 2nd shows just how big of an issue he was in the room or organization. As a basic move to simply open cap space, it makes little to no sense. Perhaps this is why STL had no issues tossing him into the deal in the first place.

Regardless of how I feel about the approach, I don't see how you can watch this team and not think Yzerman has fully committed to that second option. Nearly the entire roster is made of two categories of players:
1) Long term investment / prospect.
* Berggren
* Debrincat
* Edvinsson
* Johansson
* Kasper
* Larkin
* Raymond
* Seider

2) Band-aid.
* Chiarot
* Copp
* Compher
* Fischer
* Gustafsson
* Holl
* Kane
* Lyon
* Maatta
* Motte
* Petry
* Talbot
* Tarasenko

Other than debating Debrincat, the only guys that could be in a grey area are Rasmussen and Veleno. (Personally I view Veleno as 100 percent band-aid, but I could see the debate based on age.)

Is it frustrating to see such a long list of placeholders? Sure. But how is that not committing to slow playing the kids?

I don't see how you even ice an NHL roster without signing UFAs.

 

[FMichael]

In my eyes, the 2nd shows just how big of an issue he was in the room or organization. As a basic move to simply open cap space, it makes little to no sense. Perhaps this is why STL had no issues tossing him into the deal in the first place.


I don't see how you even ice an NHL roster without signing UFAs.

Gotta wonder if Fabbri was part of it all (was Walman's teammate in St Louis).

 

[SirloinUB]

In my eyes, the 2nd shows just how big of an issue he was in the room or organization. As a basic move to simply open cap space, it makes little to no sense. Perhaps this is why STL had no issues tossing him into the deal in the first place.


I don't see how you even ice an NHL roster without signing UFAs.

Detroit was under the cap floor heading into the offseason Copp and Chairot were signed. If it wasn't those two it would have been Gudbranson and Burakovsky or some other mid level UFAs.

 

[Frk It]

In my eyes, the 2nd shows just how big of an issue he was in the room or organization. As a basic move to simply open cap space, it makes little to no sense. Perhaps this is why STL had no issues tossing him into the deal in the first place.

What kind of issue is it going to cause over the summer? Just wait and waive him. I think he gets claimed.

 

[SirloinUB]

What kind of issue is it going to cause over the summer? Just wait and waive him. I think he gets claimed.

Cost & roster certainty.

If you know you want him gone there is at least some value in getting it done and knowing how much space you have to work with heading into UFA.

What if no one claims him? Arguably waiving a guy that you know doesn't carry much, if any value, could devalue that asset further driving up the price to move him or require salary retention.

You don't have to like the move but there is definitely real value in having cost & roster certainty.

 

[Winger98]

What kind of issue is it going to cause over the summer? Just wait and waive him. I think he gets claimed.

Here's something I've been thinking of for a bit. While the Wings wanted him gone, and were willing to include assets to make it happen, maybe they were also looking out a bit for Walman by sending him somewhere he would get a ton of ice time and a fresh start.

Part of me even wonders if they knew Campbell would be going into the player's assistance program and that insurance would cover the cost of the contract.

 

[Geezer WC]

That aged badly pretty fast...

Yes, Yzerman's quote that you have to pay to move contracts did age badly pretty fast didn't it.

 

[Frk It]

Here's something I've been thinking of for a bit. While the Wings wanted him gone, and were willing to include assets to make it happen, maybe they were also looking out a bit for Walman by sending him somewhere he would get a ton of ice time and a fresh start.

Part of me even wonders if they knew Campbell would be going into the player's assistance program and that insurance would cover the cost of the contract.

That would be commendable. I actually was wondering about this being on the other side of the spectrum. Like Yzerman just said I am done with you, you are gone, I don't care about getting the best return possible or shopping you around.

Hard to say.

 

[raymond23]

That would be commendable. I actually was wondering about this being on the other side of the spectrum. Like Yzerman just said I am done with you, you are gone, I don't care about getting the best return possible or shopping you around.

Hard to say.

That is the simplest answer and probably the right answer

 

[wingsfannn919191]

I dont understand how ppl thought we'd be a playoff team with that defense. Bottom 6 isn't something to brag about either

Sooner we can move some guys and give bigger role to Johansson, give some games to soderblom ,mazur whenever he returns,danielson etc... the better

Sooner came real quick lol .... guess yzerman reads these boards on his coffee breaks huh

 

[SirKillalot]

In my eyes, the 2nd shows just how big of an issue he was in the room or organization. As a basic move to simply open cap space, it makes little to no sense. Perhaps this is why STL had no issues tossing him into the deal in the first place.

If he was some kind of torn or not. I think the trade was either one of those few times Yzerman been impatient as he was trying to do other deals and wanted to make sure he had the cap space he wanted at the end of such possible deals. Then it didn't work out as planned.

 

[datsyukfan]

It's been heavily rumored that Walman became a locker room nuisance and after sitting out due to injury he was a healthy scratch for a few games afterwards (mind you late in the season as the Wings pushed for a playoff spot).

People may forget Trouba was about to become a Red Wing until he nixed the trade - Yzerman needed to free up cap space pronto for the move to have worked...The extra 2nd was likely a sweetener to git'r dunn.

Maybe wait until you know trouba is coming before dumping walman, not that complicated

 

[rangersblues]

Detroit was under the cap floor heading into the offseason Copp and Chairot were signed. If it wasn't those two it would have been Gudbranson and Burakovsky or some other mid level UFAs.

Being under the cap floor for a season didn't mean we had to sign them to long term contracts.

 

[Dotter]

Well shit, Walman has 8 points and +2 in SJS.

I'm giving Laldone until the 15 game mark to figure it out. But this team really needs a coaching change. If something doesn't happen, then I am going to start hardcore looking towards and researching the 2025 draft eligible players. Because we will be picking 7-14.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

What year of the Yzerplan is this...6 or 7?

I'm not so sure it's acceptable either way to be still this consistently lousy, ie slow, soft, lack of skill, poor decision-making, poor structure, inconsistent goaltending...

A bottom 10 finish should be seen as an abject failure from top to bottom...

Still lots of time to get going here but hard decisions need to be made

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Oh good, is Walman the early season "should have kept him" this year?

 

[Frk It]

Being under the cap floor for a season didn't mean we had to sign them to long term contracts.

If the player is under 30 and there is any kind of market for the player, then you are going to have to offer them a multi year deal to get them to sign.

 

[schuelma24]

There are no D signed past next year besides the young guys. I feel horrible about the D short term, very good about it long term.

Forwards are a bit messier, but even Copp only has 2 years left after this one.

 

[wingsfannn919191]

What year of the Yzerplan is this...6 or 7?

I'm not so sure it's acceptable either way to be still this consistently lousy, ie slow, soft, lack of skill, poor decision-making, poor structure, inconsistent goaltending...

A bottom 10 finish should be seen as an abject failure from top to bottom...

Still lots of time to get going here but hard decisions need to be made

I dont know how anyone was expecting us to be great this year. Our defense is horrendous and our bottom 6 is meh

Best thing that can happen long term is somehow jumping from 8 to 1 or 2 at the draft and getting a top line guy

Anyways, yzerman has done some awful signings and moves but nothing that impacts the team longterm and not a fireable offense. We still have high end picks cossa,pellikka,nygard,danielson coming up and not to mention mazur,augustine etc...

If these picks are mostly failures then we can have a talk about firing yzerman. Still a ways to go... if that happens though we'll be in a 20 yr rebuild before we know it.

 

[rangersblues]

If the player is under 30 and there is any kind of market for the player, then you are going to have to offer them a multi year deal to get them to sign.

Correct. But using " we signed them to get to the cap floor" as an excuse for signing them doesn't hold water.

A team of this quality should not currently be up against the cap considering the space we had a few years ago.

 

[LongTimeDRWF]

If he was some kind of torn or not. I think the trade was either one of those few times Yzerman been impatient as he was trying to do other deals and wanted to make sure he had the cap space he wanted at the end of such possible deals. Then it didn't work out as planned.

Yep, I am sure to SY was trying to do the proverbial "kill two birds with one stone" he wanted the cap space in hand for a plan that did not work out and moved on from someone that was likely now alienated from the rest of the team/organization and he wanted control of where he went for the player's reboot.

 

[RedHawkDown]

this is a year that i'd be fine with tanking tbh. im in love with martone

he's a beast, will be a 90pt+ PWF in the NHL, like a better Matt Tkachuk

but if that does happen, after that there's no more excuse. 2026 HAS to be playoffs

 

[RED WINGS STOMP]

No more free passes for Yzerman, time to turn up the heat.

He botched this last offseason pretty bad and the patience line can only go on for so long. He has been given patience, he can't have another offseason like this last one.

He will have some cap available to him this offseason, and he will have young options to fill holes in the roster if he wants. He must produce better results.

I feel like many of us can forgive this offseason, but he has to be better from here on out moving forward. And getting an improvement behind the bench will be a big part of it.

 

[SirloinUB]

Correct. But using " we signed them to get to the cap floor" as an excuse for signing them doesn't hold water.

A team of this quality should not currently be up against the cap considering the space we had a few years ago.

It's not an excuse - its reality. This team had to spend cap dollars that summer.

Your second point is different issue all together.