Better Luck Next Year: Detroit Red Wings edition
As NHL teams are officially eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown looks back at the highs and lows of their seasons, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The eighth edition focuses on the Detroit Red Wings.
The Good
A young foundation. There are several players on the current Red Wings roster who could become the faces of the franchise during the ongoing rebuild. Center Dylan Larkin has a team-high 56 points this season, Anthony Mantha leads Detroit with 23 goals, and Andreas Athanasiou has 31 points. Meanwhile, defenseman Joe Hicketts made his NHL debut late in the season and recorded two points, and winger Evgeny Svechnikov has worked his way up to the top line during his short time with the big club.
A new arena. After 39 seasons, the Red Wings bid farewell to the legendary Joe Louis Arena and moved into Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. The new building is resplendent with nods to the rich history of the franchise; it even includes a bench from the Joe, and a statue of the great Gordie Howe, who played 25 seasons in Detroit.
Lots of draft picks. With eight selections in the first four rounds of the 2018 draft - and 11 in total - the Red Wings can restock their prospect cupboard. One of those picks is the conditional fourth-rounder acquired from the Flyers in the Petr Mrazek trade, which will become a third-rounder if Mrazek wins five regular-season games and the Flyers make the playoffs (Mrazek has won five games, but the Flyers have not yet clinched a playoff spot). And, if the Flyers make it to the Eastern Conference Final and Mrazek wins six playoff games, the third-rounder becomes a second-round pick. The Red Wings also have two-first rounders, one of which was acquired from Vegas for Tomas Tatar.
The Bad
Not trading Green at the deadline. There was talk of moving Mike Green at the trade deadline, but nothing materialized. In the last season of the defenseman's three-year, $18-million contract, it might have been wise for general manager Ken Holland to shop the 32-year-old - ideally for draft picks - since it doesn't appear likely he'll be back.
Bad offense, bad defense. To figure out what doomed the Red Wings this season, you don't need to look much further than their offense, which has produced just 2.52 goals per game - fourth worst in the league. In fact, Mantha and Gustav Nyquist are the only players with 20 or more goals. Meanwhile, the defense isn't much better, having allowed 3.11 goals against per game - ninth most in the league.
Nine players over 30. There are nine players who are 30 or older on Detroit's current roster. While some of them - Henrik Zetterberg, for example - have continued to put up decent numbers, the team can't rely on them forever. A certain amount of veteran presence is a good thing - especially given the youth on the roster - but the league is getting exponentially younger and faster, and the Red Wings need to keep up.
The Questions
Will Holland and Blashill return next year? By all indications, Holland will stay in Detroit, although he's in the last year of his contract and it's not yet been renewed. His resume with the Red Wings includes four Stanley Cup championships (three as general manager, one as assistant general manager), and that has to count for something.
Coach Jeff Blashill's future is a little murkier. When things are evaluated this summer, there are questions that need to be asked. Was the team's lack of success due to a lack of talent or because of coaching? Is there a better coaching option available? Everything will be put under a microscope.
Where do the Wings need the most help? Goaltending and defense are probably Detroit's largest areas of concern. Jimmy Howard is 34 and has one year left on his contract, while there isn't a goaltending prospect in the system who's ready for the NHL. There's also no true top-pairing defenseman in the system or on the roster, although it remains to be seen if prospects Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek, or Vili Saarijarvi could eventually make that leap.
Other entries in this series:
- Arizona Coyotes
- Vancouver Canucks
- Buffalo Sabres
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Montreal Canadiens
- Edmonton Oilers
- Ottawa Senators
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
Copyright (C) 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.