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Frank Seravalli’s top 20 list has some options for Detroit.
As I watched the comments come in, I could see the passion (and even the stress) of fans who want to see Yzerman bring in the right pieces this summer. What I’ve had to teach myself to enjoy is each of your process and approach. Inflection doesn’t come through in type. So Type A personalities can sound like they’re being “gruff” when in reality they are just laying down their approach. With all the differences, at times, it gets intense on the board. “Absolutely do not draft (blank)”. “There’s no way we should trade (blank)”. But, 99% of you have solid reasons for feeling the way that you do. The rebuild has everyone focused on different lingering issues. The concerns are vast and diverse, which is a perfect reflection of where the team is right now. I’m trying to learn, well, how to learn from each of you in the way that you focus and communicate.
There have been different layers of heartbreak even during the good times. Some of the pain/stress over the years were players who moved on. My wife was a huge Paul Coffey fan and him being moved out (with Shanny moving in) was tough. Ironically, I loved Shanny. I shouldn’t say this, but when Yzerman retired and Shanny moved on at the same time, I broke down. When LaPointe moved on, it was a gut punch(he was a favorite player). When Lidstrom retired, when Pav moved back to Russia, when Z was finished, all of it hurt. It was like losing something that was such a blessing for more than 2 decades. Something that felt like it would always be there. I didn’t just lose a championship team, all the fun and friendships and excitement were just gone. As empty as the spot where Joe Louis Arena used to be.
And then the years of regrettable signings (not under the current regime, mind you) and wondering how Detroit would get it back together. And then, after the 2020 lotto slip to 4, it started to really sink in. The bare bones rebuild is in full swing, and the pain is here for a while. Time to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
There are still ticks, times when the “what if” scenario hits. When that happens, I look around at the teams who tried to rush their rebuilds and of course Buffalo comes out as the “what not to do” champion. High draft picks and highly touted rookies were undone with poor team building, bad trades, bad coaching decisions, etc. The franchise is without a cup in their history and tried to speed things up.
Of course I’d love a lottery pick. Yes, it sucks to see the teams that jumped ahead of Detroit in previous drafts. But, as Jonny Lang sings, “The grass over there seems greener on the other side of the street. But, the dog definitely can be meaner on the other side of the street”. In other words, keep your bucket of problems, you don’t want someone else’s.
When it comes to this draft and free agency, Detroit has so many holes to fill that they can’t all be addressed. The team improved in the goal differential last year, but still sit in the bottom 5. The bizarre reality of the closed division may have helped Detroit in some of the stability they found. Better goaltending, better defensive support but still fairly anemic firepower. When I take a look at where this team is in terms of where they want to be, I see half a team (or less). That’s not meant to be a slam, it’s more of a temperature gauge. Sometimes the glass isn’t “half empty” or “Half full”. It’s just half. Yzerman, thankfully, will continue to pour it on and build this thing up. He had to do some trimming before the adding could begin in earnest.
Larkin, Bertuzzi, Vrana, Zadina are the top 6 forwards currently. If Fabbri stays for the whole rebuild, he’ll likely be 3rd line. With Bertuzzi missing most of the season, I have that gut punch feeling that the injury carousel could be set in motion. That will put the team at having 3 top 6 forwards, and some will argue that none of them would ideally be in the top 3. We may have a second line, a lot of depth forwards, and a partial defense. Seider may be the real deal, but he hasn’t had an NHL season yet. If he is a top 2 dman, we don’t currently have his partner. That would put Hronek eventually as the second line right d man. Dekeyser won’t be here forever and is constantly bitten by injury. We don’t know what McIsaac is yet. Everyone else is battling for bottom minutes.
So, in my mind, we have a second line, a bit of a jumbled 3rd and fourth line, and 2 right side Dmen that could well be part of a championship team of the future. We have “for now” goaltending that will help the team keep developing. That may sound very sour, and may seem way over the edge as to where the development really is. Veleno, Berggren, McIsaac could all step up and be a surprise. Raymond could well be a top tier winger. We just don’t know. If any of them make it there, that’s huge. But, they’re not there yet.
Yzerman is getting to the “stability” phase. Letting bad deals expire and brining in both stop gap and hopeful long term projects. There just isn’t much to stress about at this point. There’s still plenty of time to make mistakes and undo them if necessary. What I love about the GM is how he’s setting the table. He’s walking away from lowball offers, holding on to picks, and tempering expectations. Regardless of how much he likes a prospect, he reminds press and fans that it’s a long road to the NHL.
Whether the draft is heavily defensemen this year, a nice mix with some high ceiling goal tending and maybe a potential steal due to the off year during the shutdown. The first two years have seen him find trades that panned out well (Fabbri), trades that didn’t. Highly touted draft picks, fliers on free agents, and even a buyout. Each kick at the can has seen Yzerman bring something good to the rebuild. I fully expect that after the draft and free agency, we’ll see immediate help on the way as well as prospects that could be part of a future winner. But, Detroit will still have a rough year. It will still be a rebuild year. They could finish higher in the standings, but not likely outside of the bottom 10.
The days of having to get just one or two strong pieces are far behind us. we’re going to have to see young players in the school of hard knocks when veterans hit IR. Some will step up to the challenge, and some will need work. It’s a different piece of history to try and appreciate. But, in trying to appreciate it, it makes the good times that much better.
I remember talking to an older gentleman around the ‘08 cup run. “I had to watch a lot of bad hockey before I got to see a championship team”. At the time, it didn’t even scratch the surface. It just felt like the team would keep bringing in the right pieces and stay in the mix. Now, I know, that in 10 or 15 years I’ll be the older man. I’ll look at a mid 20s guy and say the same thing. “We had to watch a lot of bad hockey, but Yzerman built another champion”. That softens the blow of knowing I’ll be in my 50s when the team is really firing on all cylinders. But, the dry times make for sweeter waters.
Good times are ahead of this franchise, but it’s still a long climb out of the valley. When you get to where the sun hits the mountain and the team ends the year with a positive scoring differential, all these times will seem like a distant memory. I believe Yzerman will come another step closer to those good days this summer, and I’ll try to enjoy the ride.
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Check out some of my previous posts
Frank Seravalli’s top 20 list has some options for Detroit.
My second summer reading post took a look at the world’s funniest bar fight.
My second “Gear Corner” talked a bit about gloves.
The Golden Knights are out of the playoffs.
Updated mock drafts have Detroit looking at Wallstedt, Eklund and Edvinsson.
Helm and Filppula could be moving on.
Jared McIsaac may finally be healthy enough to have a solid pro year.
My first “summer reading post” covered Chelios’s career defining fib.
Friday was my first gear corner with Doug Todd from Warrior Hockey.
Albert Johansson won’t be competing for a spot in North America this season
I will be featuring the writings of Kevin Allen for a summer reading program this year. It’s tough to break up the summer months, and the one on one formats that Kevin has perfected is not only a pleasure to read but gives insight that isn’t easy to come by. I’ll be starting with Chris Chelios “Made in America”.
Colorado is out of the playoffs.
Isle be darned, Boston is out 
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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