I didn't cite McCarty to say Detroit's problem is a lack of cap space. I cited him to contrast an era of putting needs of the team before loyalty, versus the current era, where I believe loyalty is both inconsistent from player to player, even within similar circumstances, and overall is significantly overinflated in the list of priorities.
If loyalty is inconsistent from player to player, it is by design. The Wings have pretty clearly done it based on what you make of the talent you have. As I've said in the past... if you're a 4 talent wise, but you give a 10 effort... they will be more lenient with you than a guy who is a 7 talent wise but gives you a 5 effort.
Some contracts are indefensible (Abdelkader, Ericsson) and some situations insane (I hope I ever have whatever leverage Dan Cleary had on Ken Holland at some point in my career)... but the Wings, if you remove your feelings of whether it should be done that way, pretty clearly and consistently have operated a certain way.
It was always hidden because the best players we had for decades were the same ones who outworked everyone... or were so god damned talented (Sergei Fedorov) that it didn't really matter.
And buying out McCarty in the lockout season is a god awful example for what you're trying to point out. The Wings were wildly over the newly instituted salary cap... and had to find a way to keep a Cup contending roster together. I just read an article from back then and before the rollback, they were 10M over the cap with 15 skaters. I'm sorry, but I don't care how much you value Darren McCarty, you're not going to trade away or let go of Nicklas Lidstrom to keep him. You're not going to let Henrik Zetterberg or Pavel Datsyuk walk out the door.
This is what PD was talking about. If the Wings need to make tough choices, they will. But the roughest choices they've had recently involve waiver wire fodder or a 35+ player leaving before his contract is done.