So to clarify since you didn't vote, you think the Wings are a realistic cup contender right now?
No, I don't. I think they are making some right moves to get themselves there (Larkin, Mrazek), have some very good prospects for future players (Mantha, Athanasiou, Svech), and that the rest of the league barring a couple elite teams are exactly in the same boat.
But mostly, I don't see the point about being doom and gloom and "we are so very awful" about our future when we are currently In a winnable playoff series. I get skepticism and realism, but I guess I just don't see the appeal of being a fan if I let those overpower everything about what I think about the team. If I know they're going to suck, I'll stop watching. If I don't think they're capable of becoming something, I have better things to do with my time.
I trust that the Wings know what they're doing. Even if I personally don't agree with it. They've had way too much success for way too long for me to just summarily write them off. Lastly, your implication about serious contender is more like prohibitive favorite like they were throughout the late 90s, early 2000s. You don't give them credit for being a serious contender in 2013 when they beat Anaheim and pushed Chicago to 7 games, so I don't really want to vote in this. The league, as much as it galls you to hear it and you think it's nothing but an excuse, is different now. If you're not a favorite for the Cup like Chicago, you're in the mix with the other 10-12 teams who all scoot into the playoffs in the last week and have crippling flaws on their rosters.