Ken Holland has a plan to make the Detroit Red Wings great again.

With his club floundering in last place in the Atlantic Division, the general manager set out to collect assets ahead of the trade deadline, and for the most part, he did.

"For Sale" sign in hand, Holland got a conditional third-round pick for Thomas Vanek, a sixth-round pick for Steve Ott, second- and third-round picks for Brendan Smith, and another third-rounder for Tomas Jurco.

"I don't feel I left any crumbs on the table," Holland said, according to Dana Wakiji, who edits the Red Wings' website. "We got the very best offers we could."

Holland deserves props for facing reality - the Red Wings' remarkable 25-year streak of playing for the Stanley Cup is ending. And that means it's time for a new streak to begin, hopefully as soon as 2018.

"It starts at the draft table," Holland said. "Teams of (the) '90s and 2000s were born at the draft table."

Detroit's now got 11 picks going into the 2017 draft, including four in the third round and two in the sixth.

"With 11 picks, you'd like to wake up and have three regular NHL players. If really lucky, four," he said.

Make no mistake - Holland's upset he had to take this route. He expected his team to be far more competitive, but he's a realist. That being said, he's not looking at a complete teardown and rebuild.

And he expects his players to go through the stretch run with pride, even as the curtain falls on The Streak.

"When you're a professional athlete, you try to win. We're going to go down swinging," Holland said. "Some good is going to come out of this year."

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