Strip the team to the studs?
Holland told Custance in June that he's rebuilding on the fly. What that involves isn't totally clear, as the roster nearly needs a top-to-bottom upgrade, and can't be patched with a few additions or subtractions.
The alternative is the classic "tank," of which successful blueprints can be found in the Chicago Blackhawks' and Pittsburgh Penguins' last rebuilds, or in Toronto's 2015 to 2017 turnaround that landed it new young stars like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner.
When Toronto committed to this strategy in 2015, it held as many bad contracts as Detroit. The Maple Leafs' new management traded those players — mostly old veterans — for draft picks. It simultaneously received high draft picks because the team finished second to last in the NHL. With those picks, it drafted the young talent that promises to make it one of the league's best teams for years to come.
Of course, that approach has to be carried out carefully and there's a lot of luck involved, as the Buffalo Sabres, who are caught in a long-running rebuild, can attest. But Lambert says he sees it as the only viable option, and anyone with any trade value on Detroit should be flipped for draft picks.
"I'd go for the No. 1 pick for the next couple years, see where that gets you. What's the alternative? This isn't a playoff team, unless things go very well the next couple years — goaltenders are better than expected, or they shoot over eight to nine percent for a team. But then you're in a Calgary Flames situation where ... you're not good enough to win in the playoffs, so why bother? Why pursue that?" he asks. "The only way forward — especially for Detroit, which has some very bad contracts — is to try to be as bad as possible, and get as many picks as you can ... and just tell the Ilitches that we have to be an 85 point team."
But while those we spoke with agree that a full rebuild is the best option, there's more that management (and ownership) must consider. Organizational pride factors in, and that's hard to shake after the Wings' run.
"I would certainly take a step back for the next few years to accumulate talent, especially because this is a good draft coming up. I would take my foot off the gas over the next couple years to accumulate high end talent," Custance says.
"But there's a culture in Detroit, and you don't want to tear that away."
Similarly, J.J. says he would "tell every GM in the NHL that my phone is always available. Any kid I got under 27, you'll pay me a ransom, but if you want to rent anybody else who is older — great. I've got bargains."
"But I'm not sure that (the Ilitches are) on board with a rebuild," J.J. adds. "You'll be a better hockey team in the long term, but in the short term it's not good for their books. And you've got the ego and the new digs. They don't want something like the garbage Sabres driving off the excitement for the $600 million crown jewel."
But a good part of the fan base is ready for a full rebuild. And it could be the right time — Holland's contract is up next year, and a new era in a new arena isn't the worst thing.
"Especially hardcore fans — we are ready to deal with the pain of the team being bad," J.J. says. "In the last year, I haven't been watching games and getting mad about losses. I'm going in and watching for things to be hopeful about for the future."
