I would put it this way looking at this season:
We knew that this team was going to be hard pressed to make the playoffs. They were borderline, and we took a step back on O, we hoped we could make up for it with internal improvement from the core and more consistent goaltending - and that just hasn't been enough.
I think, despite the fact that everyone thinks this year is a utter failure, and should cost everyone their jobs as this was obviously the year we were going to break out.... I would point back to the beginning of the season when we got a rather, frank honest moment from Yzerman when they said how the Wings felt about this season, and I'm paraphrasing "we expect that the team is about where it was last year"
I think, albeit frustrating for a number of reasons (I'm with you), i don't think this is all that surprising to the organization and would even venture a guess that it was kind of expected?
Well! They should all be fired then! No one should expect this!!#."
Maybe... I think they are sold on a steady, gradual rebuild over time. As many posters have sit here and repeatedly said, the core hasn't really gotten here yet. We're still in transition and will be until Danielson, MBN, Cossa, etc. are firmly here with Seider, Ray, Kasper, and Ed. If we're getting run out of San Jose on a rail with those guys? I think the we have a way larger problem.
Okay, so the season is meh. Where did we go wrong? I don't think we've gone wrong yet. I think this year is the potential "gone wrong" year. I'm bought into the vision and the length of time it takes us to get there. I see the value of "depth of good quality players" vs. "Core 4 Star Power", the rebuilt D, the towering goaltending, the veterans as stopgap transitional - all of it. I'm on board.
But this year feels different. It feels a little too much like we are trying to avoid having some conviction and chose just exactly where we are and what we need to to be at this point. My fear of this "gone wrong" season here, is that we don't make any moves, and we casually try to tweak what's here instead of either trying to add to immediately improve and make the run - or we gut it and move to more of the prospects, and try to get the last Top 5 pick we will need.
So I see a crossroad:
Option 1:
Make the push: where we see the immediate problem at hand, specifically a depth scoring option at 5 on 5, and a stable Top 4 D. You want to push for the spot? Great. Make the move to mix up the middle six scoring and find us the 2nd pair D man. Send a young player, send a pick or prospect - commit to make this team competitive and make the move.
OR
Option 2
If we aren't there and we need to commit to the long term of the core, ship at least 2-3 vets, and pull up more of the prospects by mid season to get them the reps and let finish in the bottom 5 and land the last true big name stud to this core and reset in the offseason.
Embrace the fact we're going to the Bottom 10, send off Chiarot (No one would take him! Yes, they would and we'd return value), send off Kane or Tarasenko. Bring up Danielson, Mazur, and Wallinder. Lets see what we've got and run some new lines with the kids - with the hops we end up wtih a 4OA and grab Misa or something to round out the last Top Line forward.
What I would consider the "made the wrong choice" in the rebuild - is to keep what we have together right now without actively trying to make it better... or worse ... at this point