from Darren Dreger of The Dreger Report,

The Detroit Red Wings success this season is a surprise to many. Detroit is in transition and supposedly in the midst of renovation to once again build this team into a Stanley Cup contender. However, the Eastern Conference standings tell a different story. The Red Wings are a top-five club in the East and comfortably in a playoff spot with two-thirds of the NHL regular season already in the bank.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Detroit fans braced for darker days ahead at the start of the season. The organization was honest with its faithful followers talking openly about opportunity for young players to take on a bigger role. Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Riley Sheahan and Danny DeKeyser: all developing talents believed to be ready for more, are also protected by their inexperience and a managed level of expectation this club has definitely surpassed.

There is promise in this young group. Emerging stars like Tatar and Nyquist have dazzled on many a night. However, the architects of this transition won't be fooled. Yes, there's a chance Red Wings general manager Ken Holland trades for the defenceman we have speculated on for a year or more, but there's also an equally strong chance Holland does nothing, or very little, to give his club better footing beyond the Mar. 2 trade deadline.

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