from Jordan Heath-Rawlings of Sportsnet,
Since their last Cup win, the Wings have gone from 115 points to 112, then three years of 102, 104 and 102, followed by a lockout-adjusted 96 in 2012–13 and, last year, 93 points, barely enough for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berth. One of the results of that slide is that Detroit is no longer the top-of-list destination it used to be for marquee free agents.
Once the big names are gone, clubs usually look for bargains who can perform above their cost, but here the Wings’ prosperous past still haunts them. Holland’s loyalty to the Red Wings brand means he often eschews the bargain-hunting approach in favour of signing known quantities—veterans like Cleary, Todd Bertuzzi and Mikael Samuelsson—who have worn the winged wheel before and fit into the team’s blueprint. He also often plays those veterans over the team’s younger, more talented prospects.
In other organizations, this commitment to past-their-prime veterans would be nearly unforgivable, but the Wings’ track record makes the moves tougher to criticize. It may leave the team constantly searching for upside, but it’s precisely this approach—loyalty to his people, patience with those he trusts, only veering from the status quo when he sees real benefit or has no real choice—that has gotten Ken Holland to where he is and earned him that four-year extension.
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