The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez isn’t necessarily a fan of the Yzerplan’s cautious approach toward making playoff hockey happen in Detroit again, though he understands the merits thereof:
I appreciate Yzerman’s philosophy of building this team responsibly, because he’s right in many ways. He wants to return the franchise to its recent former glory, perhaps with the aspiration of embarking on another 25-season playoff streak.
“I’m trying to build the nucleus of a team that can make the playoffs on an annual basis,” he said. “You squeak in one year and you don’t have the foundation to sustain it, we’re going to be sitting here a year from now or two years from now and you’re gonna be wondering again.”
There are two problems with Yzerman’s vision. The first is that no one else can see it but him. What exactly does he see and how does he see the Wings getting there? Is it a dynasty to end all dynasties? And when does it all begin? Or rather, when does the rebuild officially end?
“I don’t know when to, I guess, like literally announce what stage of the rebuild we’re at,” he said.
This isn’t the answer a fan wants from their general manager, or their general contractor.
When’s the kitchen remodel going to be done? Hey, who knows? But keep those checks coming!
Continued; I happen to believe that the Red Wings are in the middle of their rebuilding process. Not the beginning, not the end, but the middle. A place where there are playoff aspirations and players (like Dylan Larkin) who are getting understandably impatient with “the process,” and who plain old want to push this team back into the postseason.
But the Red Wings clearly have more prospects to acquire, more high-end talent to acquire, and maybe a couple of years or more until making the playoffs is no longer a dream, but instead, a sustainable reality for a Red Wings ecosystem where Yzerman–who, as Monarrez wisely says, is a plain old conservative general manager–is willing to move a few assets in order to gain a real foothold in the playoff push.
It sucks for people like the affable Larkin and company to be on the team in the middle of a rebuild, but one hopes that, when this team gets some breaks with injuries and player productivity, and when the roster really gels and comes together, it will have been worth the long wait.
