"Yzerfail" is what most people outside of the Red Wings fandom, and even some within the fandom, are mocking Steve Yzerman's "Yzerplan." The Hall of Famer has never actually used this term himself. Still, most fans, journalists, and personalities have called Steve Yzerman's rebuild of not only the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he was General Manager for about a decade.
Yzerman built a juggernaut in Tampa Bay. He built a team that won Back-to-Back Stanley Cups, made the finals three years in a row, and held the third-best win/loss record in NHL history (we won't talk about what happened in the playoffs that year).
Steve Yzerman has received a lot of criticism for how he's handled the Red Wings rebuild. But in all truthfulness, things seem to be on schedule, even with a few "bumps in the road."
What is the Yzerplan and how has is shaped out up until now?
As I said before, the "Yzerplan" was a term that fans had coined for Steve Yzerman's rebuild strategy going back to his days as the Tampa Bay General Manager. While everybody not named Kris Draper or Nicklas Lidström will never know what Steve Yzerman is thinking at any point in time, you can still piece together what his plan could potentially look like.
On the surface, it may not look like it's working. While I can agree that a lot of his free Agency signings haven't been the best, if you look a bit deeper than the surface, you'll notice that there seems to be a method behind the madness, as many of the current contracts that he signed in free agency are due to expire at the perfect time.
Let's look at the forward group first: The contracts of Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Christian Fischer all end right as another prospect that will replace them is due for their contract extensions or to join the team. Thanks to contract slides, Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper's entry-level contracts still have the full three years on them, but they will be on the Red Wings before they end. For continuity's sake, we'll say Marco Kasper makes the team out of training camp this season. That means that his contract will end at the same time Andrew Copp's contract does, and in turn, Nate Danielson's will end at the same time J.T. Compher's does (assuming he spends a year in Grand Rapids). In the same vein, when Vladimir Tarasenko and Christian Fischer's contracts end, Carter Mazur and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård should be ready to make the team by then. Meaning they can slot in and replace both players.
The defense is in the same boat. The contracts of Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, and Erik Gustafsson all have two years remaining. With the help of contract slides, Axel Sandin-Pellikka can and will continue to play in Sweden without losing a year on his entry-level contract, and once the three mentioned contracts run out, he should be ready to jump to the NHL. The same goes for Shai Buium, who has two years left on his Entry-Level contract, though Buium might end up in the same situation as Albert Johansson and need a short contract extension to get him on the team. However, by then, there should be at least three spots open on the defense, barring a buyout or trade. Then there's the wildcard option in William Wallinder, who can break out at any moment as a real defense prospect threat.
Even the goaltending is in the same boat. At the end of this season, both Alex Lyon and Ville Husso's contracts end. However, they just signed veteran goaltender Cam Talbot to a two-year deal, with Sebastian Cossa likely taking the starting role in Grand Rapids. There's a good chance that he could end up in the NHL after next season, and with three years left on his contract, he'd be able to spend his rookie season with a veteran goalie who has a career .912 Save Percentage.
I know it's a bit of a tired statement at this point, but patience is key with the "Yzerplan." While all any of us can do is assume and connect the dots with whatever Steve Yzerman is planning, it's important to remember that Yzerman knows what he's doing; otherwise, he wouldn't be a successful NHL GM.