Where did Yzerman go wrong with the rebuild?

[SirKillalot]

Interim fix??? Were close to bottom of the standings lmfao ... we're winning squat next 2 seasons lets be real

We were never going to win anything the next two seasons unless there is a miracle where multiple top level UFA guys sign in Detroit.

We're on a good track. Kids are developing. It's going a little slower than my liking, but the team is taking form year by year, adding pieces to the team.
We are going to have a good hockey team, we'll build our own Brayden Point, Victor Hedman light or what not. It's coming.

 

[wingsfannn919191]

We were never going to win anything the next two seasons unless there is a miracle where multiple top level UFA guys sign in Detroit.

We're on a good track. Kids are developing. It's going a little slower than my liking, but the team is taking form year by year, adding pieces to the team.
We are going to have a good hockey team, we'll build our own Brayden Point, Victor Hedman light or what not. It's coming.

Ya no big free agents go to july 1 anymore and no ones coming here . That's why I say we push for young guys with upside like cozens,mctavish etc... if they're actually available

And we have no choice but to wait for the kids to get experience . 2026-2027 is the year ... unless our prospects bust and then it's another 10 yrs of pain

 

[SirKillalot]

Ya no big free agents go to july 1 anymore and no ones coming here . That's why I say we push for young guys with upside like cozens,mctavish etc... if they're actually available

I agree in theory. Though it seems like Yzerman is a bit hesitant to do so. Or at least hesitant to trade for someone with some warts or perceived negative history like Chychrun or Jiricek for example.
At the same time, we need a forward with a high pick so I get not trying to get Jiricek with a 1st.

 

[wingsfannn919191]

I agree in theory. Though it seems like Yzerman is a bit hesitant to do so. Or at least hesitant to trade for someone with some warts or perceived negative history like Chychrun or Jiricek for example.
At the same time, we need a forward with a high pick so I get not trying to get Jiricek with a 1st.

As cool as jiricek would have been with seider and pellikka on the right side it's not a need we need to chase

For defense I'd target k'andre miller or preferably hague who has cup experience both are like 25 and big bodies and would be here longterm

But ya I'd prefer a forward but if somehow yzerman could land a mctavish(doubt hes available like weekes mentioned) as well as hague I'd be a happy camper

Kasper Larkin raymond
Debrincat mctavish -
Buchelnikov Danielson compher
Rasmussen copp -

Edvinsson seider
Hague pellikka
Wallinder chiarot
Johansson

Something like this if the kids can make the roster would be something I'd like to see . Youth movement have to make it sooner rather than later

For ones not seeing mazur hes someone who could have some trade value I'd be willing to part with. Like him but see him as a bottom 5 guy and that lineup doesn't even Include likes of lombardi nygard still in the system

For fun

2026 1st top 10 protected +mazur + buium + something else for mctavish

2025 2nd + berggren + something else for hague

 

[SirloinUB]

How much better is Detroit if they signed Kadri instead of Copp?

I believe they were signed the same summer? Kadri makes about 2M more per year, is 4 years older and signed for 2 years longer. He also seems to be a superior player.

At the time, Kadri would have been the higher risk, higher reward player and that seems to be holding true.

Personally, I don't think I would take a redo on that but I do think we have a better player if Yzerman went after Kadri instead. Kadri, while the superior player, probably doesn't move the needle enough and being 4 years older with 4 years remaining probably would have been a worse fit for when this team can really start competing.

 

[Oddbob]

How much better is Detroit if they signed Kadri instead of Copp?

I believe they were signed the same summer? Kadri makes about 2M more per year, is 4 years older and signed for 2 years longer. He also seems to be a superior player.

At the time, Kadri would have been the higher risk, higher reward player and that seems to be holding true.

Personally, I don't think I would take a redo on that but I do think we have a better player if Yzerman went after Kadri instead. Kadri, while the superior player, probably doesn't move the needle enough and being 4 years older with 4 years remaining probably would have been a worse fit for when this team can really start competing.

Kadri will age poorly with his style. As is, while having more pts than Copp by 7, he is also a whopping -16 in 31 games. Can he be better and is better than Copp, of course, but I think tagging on 2 more years at more money and him maybe already slowing down is a huge no for me.

 

[SirloinUB]

Kadri will age poorly with his style. As is, while having more pts than Copp by 7, he is also a whopping -16 in 31 games. Can he be better and is better than Copp, of course, but I think tagging on 2 more years at more money and him maybe already slowing down is a huge no for me.

I am with you 100%. I prefer Copp for the reasons you mentioned.

I only ask because for all of the bellyaching about UFA contracts, most of its irrelevant to the actual rebuild. Kadri is the one player I can think of that was available in UFA and would have actually been an upgrade to what we signed. And while he would have been an upgrade over Copp, Im glad we aren't stuck with that contract.

 

[schuelma24]

I am with you 100%. I prefer Copp for the reasons you mentioned.

I only ask because for all of the bellyaching about UFA contracts, most of its irrelevant to the actual rebuild. Kadri is the one player I can think of that was available in UFA and would have actually been an upgrade to what we signed. And while he would have been an upgrade over Copp, Im glad we aren't stuck with that contract.

The contract I currently do not like is Compher - still 3 years on it after this one and so far he looks assy this year.

 

[TheOctopusKid]

I would argue that Kadri's general issue, as it has been his entire career, is he was often criticized for being emotional, immature, inconsistent, etc. The highs were high. The lows were low. More talented than Copp? Sure. I think the Copp pickup had a lot more to do with Copp wanting to come back to Michigan (can't assume Kadri would've even signed here despite the money), was that Copp was a professional and an "A" character guy. I think that is very important to Steve based upon his moves.

 

[gritdash60]

Yeah Kadri ain't the missing piece. Fire Lalonde just to reset the room if nothing else, there is a kinda nice core to work with but it's so obvious the coach has no idea what he is doing. Last year it was run and gun offense, albeit scoring way more than they should have. Now it's non existent offense and still suck defensively. It's not like the roster changed so drastically that this is acceptable.

 

[SirloinUB]

Yeah Kadri ain't the missing piece. Fire Lalonde just to reset the room if nothing else, there is a kinda nice core to work with but it's so obvious the coach has no idea what he is doing. Last year it was run and gun offense, albeit scoring way more than they should have. Now it's non existent offense and still suck defensively. It's not like the roster changed so drastically that this is acceptable.

That's kind of my point. For all the bellyaching about Steve's UFA signings there really wasn't better options available (and I will repeat this team was about 12 mill below the Cap Floor when Copp/Chairot were signed).

 

[gritdash60]

W

That's kind of my point. For all the bellyaching about Steve's UFA signings there really wasn't better options available (and I will repeat this team was about 12 mill below the Cap Floor when Copp/Chairot were signed).

Which big ticket FA has worked out in recent years? Which Wings fan would like to be married to Stamkos for 4 years? Huberdeau for next 6 or whatever?

 

[gritdash60]

Copp seems to be the talking point, so my question is that in what way Wings look like a different team if Copp was signed for 1mil per? Then they go for some bum for 8years and 10mil AAV?

Free agency really is not the way to build a team if you suck in the first place.

 

[Winger98]

W

Which big ticket FA has worked out in recent years? Which Wings fan would like to be married to Stamkos for 4 years? Huberdeau for next 6 or whatever?

Huberdeau was dealt for and then re-signde the summer before the last year of his previous deal. So Calgary still has six more years of his $10.5m cap hit. Toronto is in such good hands hiring Treliving away from Calgary.

 

[Snuggs]

There wasn't a good free agent to sign is what I'm gathering. Not one player worth paying the price to trade for and build around. We're all victims, especially Steve Yzerman. How is he supposed to do his job?

He'll just have to continue to sign trash, stash and repeat till he's fired or gets lucky in the draft.

 

[gritdash60]

Huberdeau was dealt for and then re-signde the summer before the last year of his previous deal. So Calgary still has six more years of his $10.5m cap hit. Toronto is in such good hands hiring Treliving away from Calgary.

Yeah ok Huberdeau was a bad example then. Point still stands.

 

[Snuggs]

Yeah ok Huberdeau was a bad example then. Point still stands.

Does it? I don't even understand your point other than nothing matters.

If you're arguing the team wouldn't be better with Kadri over Copp I think that's false. It's also easy for me to say Yzerman wouldn't have signed Compher if he had Kadri already instead, half the reason why Compher was brought in was because Copps failures/lingering "injury"

How you spend money matters. Even Rasmussen/Veleno are bad (re)signings. Yzerman has been really bad in FA just about no matter what or who's available. No one liked the Holl signing almost as soon as it was signed... I blame the organization even more than him. Sometimes GMs are just listening to "there" guys within, and this organization has consistently chosen to sign the wrong guys over years. I think some guys need to be moved out and new guys hired. Just an opinion though.

No team has ever really been "one" missing piece away even when they make TDL moves. It's always an arms race.

Red Wings just straight up don't have the players, they need more than just "a" Kadri but making a bunch of right choices starts with one, like Kadri over Copp, easy now with hindsight but that's why Yzerman was hired. Instead, he made the wrong move, which lead to another bad move, etc, etc. Now... They have all grinder type 90's players with uninterested Kane/Tarasenko, that would have made the Devils proud, all in a new style open league that promotes scoring and penalties, fast play.

 

[Winger98]

There wasn't a good free agent to sign is what I'm gathering. Not one player worth paying the price to trade for and build around. We're all victims, especially Steve Yzerman. How is he supposed to do his job?

He'll just have to continue to sign trash, stash and repeat till he's fired or gets lucky in the draft.

A lot of times you really don't get your money's worth. And I'm not sure that has always been the driving force behind who we have signed. Our best bet for the real difference makers is to trade for those guys before they hit UFA and re-sign them like NJD has done with a few guys, Vegas does seemingly every year, etc.

And I sort of expect us to start doing in the near future. But Ottawa and Buffalo might be bad trade partners for us because they are in the same division. Debrincat forced the move, and it's clearly still unpopular with Sens fans. Have to think they deal with us and end up looking like the losers that their GM is going to feel a ton of heat - more so than losing a trade with, say, Utah.

I'm also not sure it's time to start spending 1st rounders on guys like Cozens and Norris who feel like reclamation projects to varying degrees. But if we did... I could understand why we did it and hope for the best.

 

[saska sault]

A lot of times you really don't get your money's worth. And I'm not sure that has always been the driving force behind who we have signed. Our best bet for the real difference makers is to trade for those guys before they hit UFA and re-sign them like NJD has done with a few guys, Vegas does seemingly every year, etc.

And I sort of expect us to start doing in the near future. But Ottawa and Buffalo might be bad trade partners for us because they are in the same division. Debrincat forced the move, and it's clearly still unpopular with Sens fans. Have to think they deal with us and end up looking like the losers that their GM is going to feel a ton of heat - more so than losing a trade with, say, Utah.

I'm also not sure it's time to start spending 1st rounders on guys like Cozens and Norris who feel like reclamation projects to varying degrees. But if we did... I could understand why we did it and hope for the best.

Yzerman has said the last few off seasons it's pre mature to start trading picks and prospects to speed up your time line when your team isn't ready... I think so far this season the team supports that narrative. They aren't a trade away from magically unlocking the next step to this team.. it needs to come internally before you start looking to add in missing pieces. Not to say there isn't another Debrincat move out there, or maybe someone desperately looking to make a trade to shuffle their team but it would need to be a "hockey trade".

 

[Retire91]

It's a bitter pill for a lot of people but it's has not been and is not the time to use assets to fill holes. When you have this many openings to fill, any major trade is going to create other holes that you no longer have the assets to fill. It's slow but we are doing amazing through the draft.

The little opportunistic trades of incremental improvements for now