Has Red Wings' rebuild stalled? Can Detroit land Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner? Mailbag

Up until the Detroit Red Wings got a sorely needed win over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend, the temperature around the team had been scorching.

Fans have been frustrated by Detroits disappointing start to the season, and many have become skeptical of the teams direction.

That much was clear when we opened up the mailbag this week.

Advertisement There arent many concrete answers about the Red Wings these days, but heres our best attempt to answer fans biggest questions two months into the season.

Note: Questions may be edited for clarity and length.

Should results not change moving forward, at what point would Steve Yzerman effectively pull the pin on this year and start setting up for the next year? And following on from this, what moves/changes would you *realistically* see you making to set the team up for the next year? Anthony V.

I think its already getting close to the point where any prospective moves have to be about next season (and beyond) more than this current one.

Its 30 games in, and while technically the playoff cutoff once again could be low, the odds of the Red Wings making a run to the postseason are unfavorable.

Consider: Just to get to last seasons 91 points (an uncommonly low number to be within a tiebreaker of the playoffs), Detroit would need to play at a 99-point pace for the rest of the season.

Im sure everyone involved with the Red Wings believes theyre capable of being better than theyve been, but to think they can suddenly click into a near-100-point pace feels awfully ambitious.

So, if Yzerman isnt already at the point of seeing the writing on the wall, I cant imagine its too far off.

The trickier question is your second one.

I dont know if there are many moves they can make in-season.

I could see them trying to move some money off their 2025-26 cap ledger to create some flexibility for the offseason.

And Im sure theyll trade some pending UFAs at the deadline.

The best-case scenario might be something like the Nick Leddy trade from 2022, when they sent out pending UFA Leddy and got back a pick and an undervalued young player ( Jake Walman ) who was productive for Detroit right away.

Advertisement The Red Wings have one of the top prospect pools, but as the Buffalo Sabres have shown, that doesnt necessarily translate to an NHL contender.

With the playoff drought second only to the Sabres NHL-record streak, at what point should Wings fans question if the rebuild has failed/stalled? Matthew L.

There are a couple different ways to look at this question, and I dont think either is necessarily right or wrong.

On one hand, you could look at Detroits rebuild and say that until this season, it had improved in the standings every year and most of its key prospects are trending well at various levels, and conclude this season really shouldnt be the be-all, end-all for the success of the whole rebuild especially if it nets the team a top-five pick.

Youd be justified in that stance.

Or you could focus on the way the Red Wings have fared in free agency (including some deals that still have term after this season) and worry not just about how those deals could limit Detroit in the next couple seasons, but also about the front offices judgment and the viability of free agency as a means to improving.

You could also see the same stable of prospects and question if there are enough future stars in that mix to form a legit Stanley Cup contender down the line.

I think thats all valid too and my sense lately is an increasing number of fans are finding themselves in this camp.

Right now, I think stalled is a fair word to use, because the progress has certainly taken a hit at the NHL level and right now I dont think I see another Moritz Seider or Lucas Raymond -level prospect outside the NHL to give it a massive jump-start overnight.

But I do think theyve built up a nice collection of young players who will bring a lot of important playoff elements in a couple years, and I have a hard time calling that an outright failure.

At least not yet.

The key is going to be finding another real star up front who can give Detroit two legitimately dangerous lines in its top six.

But thats easier said than done.

Its obvious Yzerman is building this team through the draft, but is it time to trade for a better second pair defenseman with some of our prospects? Jesse C.

I definitely think the Red Wings need both a short- and long-term solution on the second pair.

Its been an issue all season, and outside of Axel Sandin-Pellikka (who I think is still at least a full season away), there are not many obvious answers in the pipeline either.

But the Red Wings do have some space opening up there soon, with Jeff Petry s contract up after this season and Ben Chiarot , Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson all set to enter the last year of their deals next season.

Advertisement The ideal situation would be to bring in a strong, steady left-shot D who can help right away next year and become a stabilizing partner for Sandin-Pellikka in the longer term.

I picture the kind of dynamic Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard have together in Edmonton (though Bouchard is obviously quite a bit bigger than Sandin-Pellikka, and I dont see Sandin-Pellikka reaching quite that level).

The trouble is its hard to find guys like Ekholm and they tend to be expensive (in both trade cost and contract cost).

A guy like KAndre Miller would fit the mold, but he wouldnt come cheap on the trade market.

I do wonder about going into free agency and chasing someone like Vladislav Gavrikov or Marcus Pettersson , but I expect both will be in demand and will command meaningful term and money.

Its a clear need, to be sure, and I think they have to try and address it.

But its not going to be a painless process.

Can you elaborate on the idea that Yzerman seems to draft really well but has made a bunch of free-agent errors? Zac B.

I think it just comes down to the fact the draft and free agency are two different processes.

Both are ultimately about acquiring players, but in the draft, youre looking at 18-year-olds and projecting what theyll become in the future.

You also get to simply pick those players when its your turn you dont have to win a bidding war or persuade them to sign, in most cases.

In free agency, youre looking at players who are already in the NHL (and in most cases have already reached their peak) and deciding who you think can maintain their level of play, and how much youre willing to pay them.

Then you have to usually go above that number to convince them to sign with you.

Thats why the contracts in free agency usually end up longer and more expensive than teams want.

Its the price of doing business that way.

Where Detroit has run into trouble, in my view, is not in identifying players who fit their needs, but rather in finding players who will maintain their level of play as they age.

Thats certainly not an easy task, and the only real way to be sure you dont get burned by free-agent deals is not to sign them which I dont think many fans would be happy about.

But I do think their free-agency misses are something the Red Wings need to take a look at, whether it means bringing in some new voices to their pro scouting department, changing their approach or something else.

Advertisement What do you think is the biggest need for the Red Wings? Whether its at the summers draft or by trade during the season? David S.

There are a few.

I think a steady, two-way LHD for the second pair is a need, as we just discussed.

As of now, they could use a better second-line center though Nate Danielson could potentially be that answer down the line.

But more broadly, I think they need more hard skill at the top of the lineup.

They have some smaller skill guys in the top six and some harder players down the lineup, but finding legit offensive players who can also do a better job in the middle of the ice and down low, without being pushed around, seems crucial to me.

Thats a rare package, and its why the Tkachuk brothers are so coveted, but its stood out as a need for Detroit for a few years now.

Given this team isnt making the playoffs, what kind of value would Patrick Kane and any other vet have at the deadline? Also, what does the amateur draft class look like for 2025? Bob H.

The Red Wings should be able to recoup some draft capital by trading their UFAs, which could include Kane if he agrees to waive his full-no-trade clause although after moving so much the last few years, he may not want to.

Even if he is open to moving, though, hell have control, and that tends to limit returns.

I wonder if Detroits most valuable pending UFA could end up being Alex Lyon , who has proven to be a very good backup goaltender capable of carrying a team for a couple weeks if needed.

If I were Carolina, hed be at the top of my list.

As for the 2025 draft, its pretty compelling at the very top, with dynamic defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forwards James Hagens (Boston College), Porter Martone (OHL) and Michael Misa (OHL) making up an excellent top four.

Swedish forward Anton Frondell has had a quieter year, and big-bodied WHL forward Roger McQueen has been injured, but both would also be very nice gets in the top six.

That said, as of Sunday night, Detroit was slated to pick seventh.

Is it realistic to think about signing Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner considering what their next contracts will look like? John F.

Its usually safest to expect players of their caliber to re-sign with their current clubs.

Even if negotiations get a little tense, teams know how hard it is to find players as good as those two, and usually do what it takes to keep them.

Especially in their prime.

Advertisement But if they do get to market, the prices would be massive.

The Athletic s Pierre LeBrun has said he thinks Rantanen believes he can get to a $14 million AAV on the open market.

With a rising salary cap, Id expect Mitch Marner to garner north of $12 million.

That may simply be what it costs for an open-market star these days, though, and Rantanen in particular is the kind of player the Red Wings just dont have right now.

Whats your pitch to a top-end free agent this offseason to join the Wings? Lets use Marner as an example, why should Detroit be on his list? Karl P.

Money is obviously the biggest part of the pitch any team would make, but once you get past that, Id center it on what an incredible hockey market Detroit is.

The Red Wings have top-notch facilities and an exceptionally passionate fan base dying to taste winning again but without quite the same pressure as some of the Canadian markets.

They also have a stable of good young players, both on the roster and in the pipeline, who could help create a fairly long competitive window if they can get the right star to elevate them.

I think it would be a compelling pitch to either Marner or Rantanen if either were to actually make it to the open market.

How much did Pat Verbeeks departure hurt the Wings front office skill set & operations? Bruce F.

I think losing someone with Verbeeks experience, work ethic and eye for talent is a huge deal.

He was very important to the teams player personnel decisions, and that department has taken a lot of heat since he left to become the general manager in Anaheim.

Losing people like him is part of the game, though other teams take note of front-office talent and they get promotions to go elsewhere.

The key is being able to replace them (or come close to it) when that happens.

Thats why I think itd be worthwhile for Detroit to explore adding to the pro scouting and player personnel departments this offseason, just to get some fresh eyes and voices into the conversation.

Detroit, Ottawa and Buffalo have been expecting a jump for three years now and the Atlantic standings havent budged.

Has the parity of the league stagnated, or do these cycles just take longer than we think they should? Nathan R.

The cycles do take longer than I think anyone wants to admit.

Retools, where teams keep a few young stars and build around them, can go quicker, but from a true teardown and rebuild, I think these teams do reflect just how hard it is.

Its natural to believe you can do it faster if everything goes right.

But everything very rarely goes right, and without some good fortune (such as winning multiple draft lotteries), its easy to get stuck on the way back up.

Advertisement That doesnt mean those teams havent made mistakes to prolong their timelines, of course.

Im sure Buffalo regrets some trades it has made after watching former core players win Stanley Cups elsewhere.

And I cant help but wonder if some of those moves were made out of frustration for how long the process was taking.

But the reality is, theres no easy, proven way to complete a rebuild on the quick, unless you get really lucky either in the draft or some other way.

The New York Rangers , for example, had Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox practically force his way into their lap, had a Hart Trophy candidate ( Artemi Panarin ) pick them in free agency, had a fourth-round pick turn into the best goalie in the world ( Igor Shesterkin ), and got a No.

1 pick from the draft lottery.

That doesnt happen for most teams.

Eventually, I believe all three of Buffalo, Ottawa and Detroit will get through these miserable years.

But I dont think anyone knows exactly when it will happen, including them.

(Top photo of Ville Husso saving a shot by Mitch Marner: Mike Mulholland / Getty Images).

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