from John Niyo of the Detroit News,

The full picture is still a long way off, but after a frenetic first week of the NHL offseason, you can start to see the early stages of a plan and the framework of a philosophy as Yzerman retools the roster and replenishes the farm system.

With a draft haul that ended up netting a dozen players, the Red Wings weren’t afraid to take some chances. But they also went into the two-day marathon with a clear directive, emphasizing skill and smarts even as they took a few flyers on prospects with higher ceilings and lower floors. When you’re in the basement, that’s not a bad idea at all.

Meanwhile, in free agency, Yzerman found some immediate help without mortgaging anyone’s future, least of all his own just 18 months into this reclamation project.

In signing a handful of veteran players to one and two-year deals over the weekend — forwards Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov, defensemen Jon Merrill and Troy Stecher and goaltender Thomas Greiss — the Red Wings’ GM didn’t make any big splashes. But he didn’t give up any financial flexibility, either, while still managing to upgrade his roster with more skill up front, more size and skating on the blue line, and more stability in net.

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