The Detroit Red Wings need help. Immediately.
As November nears, it is becoming obvious that the team needs a more aggressive rebuild — or a miracle — to pull them out of the rut they have dug themselves into so early in the season. Currently, the Red Wings hold a dismal 1-6-2 record. Their only victory of the season so far? An overtime goal from the hands of right wing Gustav Nyquist to push Detroit 4-3 past the Florida Panthers, who currently occupy the spot directly above the Red Wings in the Atlantic Division.
The Red Wings have always been a constant in postseason play, so the fact that they are currently bringing up the rear in the league is a sign that something is amiss in Hockeytown that needs to be corrected sooner rather than later.
Let’s discuss some history. Before the past two seasons, the last time the Red Wings did not make the playoffs was in 1990, meaning the team went to the Stanley Cup playoffs 25 times in a row between 1991 and 2016. The only other time this team did not go to the postseason in this period was in 2005, when the lockout led to the complete cancellation of the 2004-2005 season.
Within these 25 years, Detroit made it to the Stanley Cup Finals six times, winning four of those matchups.
History speaks for itself: being a bottom-of-the-pack team is extremely uncharacteristic for Detroit, and when the team snapped its playoff streak in 2017, while unsurprising based on their lackluster play throughout that season, it was still upsetting to see.
Yes, Detroit is consistently scoring goals in each game, and players like Nyquist and center Dylan Larkin are contributing consistently in the points category, but the number of goals they’re scoring doesn’t matter when they’re being trounced by teams like the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. In these back-to-back games, Detroit scored a combined five goals, while their opponents scored a combined total of 15.
In the nine games the Red Wings have played so far, they have already had 38 goals scored against them. The Nashville Predators, who currently occupy first place in the league, only had 20 goals scored against them in their first nine games this year.
So, what needs to happen to get Detroit back on track? At this point, I would say burn the team down and start over, to a certain extent.
To start off, the team needs to reestablish its leadership core. After being plagued by a back injury, forward Henrik Zetterberg decided to retire from the NHL, leaving the team without a captain. Currently, left wing Justin Abdelkader and defenseman Niklas Kronwall are the team’s alternate captains, but that’s not all. At the beginning of the season, Larkin and center Frans Nielsen were also named alternative captains for the team, meaning Detroit now has four alternate captains and no head captain.
Although it should not be a big concern that there is not a player donning the “C” this season, having four alternate captains could create a “too many cooks in the kitchen” atmosphere within the team’s leadership. Having a strong, focused leadership will keep the team organized and determined, which will ultimately be reflected in the team’s play.
Of course, the team has only played nine of its 82 games this season. It is possible that the Red Wings can turn their season around and make it to the playoffs in 2019, but an active effort needs to be made in order to reach the postseason. As the season progresses, Detroit needs to keep an eye on who is and is not actively contributing to the team. They need to cut the dead weight as soon as they can, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Wings make one of the biggest trades of the season.
Judging based on how Detroit has played so far, they won’t be making it to the 2019 playoffs, but if they make strategic moves quickly, they have a better chance of shortening their rebuild period.