The context of this conversation is not Yzerman's tenure as a Red Wings GM, it's Yzerman's tenure as a GM period.
And you can go all the way back to my initial responses to you to find that context...
Bit of a miscommunication then because I was thinking about this in the context of the Red Wings. It is worth noting the Lightning were capped out for much of his tenure there.
Still these kinds of players are so rarely on the market, I don't think history is a good indication of what a GM is willing or unwilling to do.