from Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News,

...if rebuilding plans had gone by design, Green would have been traded last spring. In return, the Wings would likely have even more than their 18 picks in the 2019 and 2020 drafts.

They also would probably have fewer than 15 wins, which ties them for fewest in the NHL, and a worse goal differential than minus-27, fifth-worst entering play Thursday.

Such is the way, with rebuilds. Unpredictability can be a way of life.

Are they better off with Green or the draft picks? Discerning the answer is only part of a pervasive puzzle.

Hoping for the best among often meager alternatives while patiently drafting and developing is all part of reconstructing the roster.

And, developmentally, the first half of 2018-19 has been successful for the Wings.

What eludes them for a fourth season, arguably more, is the sort of success they claim to seek while rebuilding.

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