We are over the hump in this long rebuild. Not to say that it's over, there are still 1 and probably 2 seasons near the bottom of the league, but I think the corner has been turned. The last few seasons have been pretty grim and lifeless. Not much to cheer for on the Wings themselves. We had our first taste of high draft picks in a long time, but those were prospects for the future. The team on the ice was low on talent and depth at every position.
Well the future is now. We have the holdovers from the Holland era of course, in Larkin, Bertuzzi, and Hronek. And now Zadina seems on the cusp of finding his groove and becoming a producer. Not to mention Rasmussen and Veleno cutting their teeth and trying to establish themselves as everyday NHLers. But Yzerman is really starting to show his mark on the team, and I could not be more excited seeing it come together. Seider is coming in and looks poised to start making an impact early. We may even see Raymond crack the roster this season. He's added some quality supporting players in Vrana, Fabbri, and now Suter and Nedeljkovic. Soon we'll see Berggren (a Holland pick) and Johansson get their shots. And after that we'll see Edvinsson and Cossa worked in, followed by the high draft picks in 2022 and (possibly) 2023. We are going to be seeing a flood of new faces over the next few seasons, and many of them will be players of very high pedigree who have a good chance of becoming difference makers. Seems like the worst is behind us and we are going to be treated to better and better Red Wings hockey in the seasons to come. It's about time Motown had a contender again.
