Neat. Thanks for chiming in. I'm aware they used to be very good. They're awful now, with a very bleak future. The past doesn't change that.
The Wings could be very good in three years. The big money contracts go off the books. They need the front line players, but they are likely to be drafting high. Yes they will need some luck mixed in, but they have some nice young players and are likely to have cracks at the elite ones they need in the next two drafts. They don't intend on being intentionally bad and the past matters there and it will to the free agents when they get the course corrected.
I have always been a big Smith guy. It is unfortunate that inconsistencies still plague his game. He is a monster in the post-season but he has never been able to consistently string together games outside of the playoffs. It wears out his coaches, management and fans. You can see the talent, he just cannot sustain it.