The last time the Detroit Red Wings were this close to the bottom of the NHL was in 1989-90. Two years later, they won their division and five years after that, they ended a 42-year Stanley Cup championship drought.
That swift rise to the top will be difficult to replicate.
That 1996-97 team had a tremendous nucleus of generational talent in Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom and Vladimir Konstantinov, supplemented by future Hall of Famers like Brendan Shanahan, Igor Larionov and Larry Murphy.
They had a financial advantage over most of the league with an owner in Mike Ilitch who was willing to spend in the pre-salary cap days.