A common refrain among rebuilding franchises is that there are no shortcuts.



It’s a reminder that, if a team wants to do more than just dream of championships, hard times have to pass first. And save for the possibility of franchise-changing luck, it usually holds true. Rebuilds take time. They erode patience. And there’s no guarantee of when they’ll end.



But what if they could take less time? And more specifically, what would it take for the Red Wings — who, despite a three-game winning streak, are still near the bottom of the NHL standings — to become a contender again within just a couple of years?



The answer is, as you might guess, complex. But it’s also not impossible.



Based on the young talent already in Detroit’s pipeline, we explored the avenues for accelerating the Red Wings’ rebuild — not in a way that demands they win this season, but in a way that would put them in contention to win a...