Yzerman is conducting a balancing act where he needs to let his prospects develop, try to make the playoffs, but also have enough cap space to sign his best players. I don't think very highly of his North American pro scouts and have said as much here, and if there's any house cleaning to be done that would be where I would start, but this idea he's going to pay top dollar for one or two UFAs when he doesn't know which of his prospects are going to develop and which ones are going to struggle seems absurd to me.It's basically just an insurance move:
-Even though he has no problem overpaying at best 3rd line centers and 3rd pairing D, Yzerman draws the line at goalies and doesn't want to get priced out of the super thin UFA goalie market this summer (where Adin Hill, Andersen and Jake Allen seem like the only worthwhile options for the Wings usual platoon workload).
-Keeps Cossa in GR for the rest of the season where he can rack up the starts and keep that team in the playoffs. That's better for his confidence than having to help an pretty awful NHL team try to salvage some playoff hopes.
At the same time, I don't think anything is set in stone. The Sharks will probably need a goalie, so Yzerman can send Mrazek to Grier with a 2nd rounder for future considerations.
And as for Cossa, you're more likely to see Justin Holl win this years Norris Trophy than you are seeing Yzerman keep a spot open on the NHL roster for him before he's had more reps in the NHL.
As an added bonus for the team, I see a pretty strong overlap in the Venn diagram of "Wings fans who have some fond memory of Mrazek and still think he was wronged by Ken Holland" and those that still make excuses for Yzerman like "lOl, oIlErS oVeRpAiD fOr WaLmAn"
He's had to overpay in free agency, but is that a shock to anyone? That's what free agency is known for. Better to wait for your prospects to develop and make a big splash with a free agent acquisition once you have a clear understanding of where your draft and development strategy has failed.
We have no idea how Coss and Augustine will develop, so getting Mrazek with one more year under contract at a known cost makes sense.