Report: Big changes coming for Red Wings

It’s been a long time coming, but change is finally coming for fans in HockeyTown.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Report: Big changes coming for Red Wings
Zuma Press

It’s been a disastrous start to the season for the Detroit Red Wings in 2018-19. The team finally picked up their first win of the season this past weekend, getting past the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime. After eight games, the Red Wings sit at the bottom of the league standings with a dreadful 1-5-2 record. Ouch.

Despite making some key offseason additions like goaltender Jonathan Bernier and veteran forward Thomas Vanek, the Red Wings actually look to be worse off than they were a season ago, a season in which they finished with the fifth worst record in the entire NHL. There have been bright spots to start the season though. Rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski has five points in his first six NHL games. Dylan Larkin looks like his old self again with four goals and seven points in eight games. Unfortunately, that’s about where the positivity ends for this group…

Which begs the quest, “How long are the Red Wings going to keep trotting out this group and expecting things to change?” Red Wings fans are desperate for change and according to Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News, they just may get it this season. 

“Some changes need to be made,” says Kulfan. “But things have to turn around for the Wings to get out of this current mess, and that’s what it is — a mess.”

What kind of changes are we talking about? A coaching change? Some big trades? Check out these quotes from Kulfan’s latest column:

Keep Jeff Blashill

For now, anyway. But change could still happen, and should if these lackluster losses continue.
Blashill is in the final year of his contract. Firing Blashill and moving assistant Dan Bylsma into the head coach’s spot isn’t going to turn this team around. And, really, in terms of this season, Blashill hasn’t had close to a full roster, particularly on defense, where injuries have completely ravaged the position, forcing Blashill to use four rookies.

Keep Michael Rasmussen

Scratching Rasmussen out of the lineup Monday was a mild surprise. He hadn’t been outstanding, but then again, very few Wings players have been.
Sending Rasmussen back to juniors — when he plays 10 games, it burns a year of his contract, so a decision will be made soon — wouldn’t seem to benefit his development. Carve out playing time on this NHL roster. Rasmussen will get comfortable in his surroundings eventually with regular ice time.

Use the Feb. 25 trade deadline

Here’s where change could happen in a big and positive way.
Goaltender Jimmy Howard and forward Gustav Nyquist are prospective unrestricted free agents and could be valuable rentals for playoff teams.
Defenseman Trevor Daley, with next year left on his contract, could be a valuable trade target once his upper-body injury heals. With Christoffer Ehn’s emergence, Luke Glendening also would seemingly be on the market. Thomas Vanek should attract his usual middle-round draft pick at the deadline.
Use this deadline to clear as much of the roster as possible, and keep accumulating draft picks, and clearing spots for young players. It will help the future

These changes hardly seem like the total overhaul that Red Wings fans are hoping for, but at the very least they should move the team in the right direction. If youngsters like Larkin, Cholowski and others can continue to improve and the team can recoup some assets for veterans like Howard, Nyquist, Daley, Glendening and Vanek, they should be in a much better position moving forward. For the Red Wings, that’s the only thing that should matter this season.

Source: Ted Kulfan