I don’t like to be a shit-stirrer, but the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope–a fine journalist–and I happen to vividly disagree regarding his assessment of the state of the Red Wings’ blueline:
Red Wings: The Wings were so bad last season — the NHL’s worst team in 20 years — that even a substantial improvement in 2021 won’t pull them out of last place.
Up front, there are some pieces to build around in Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Filip Zadina. The addition of free-agent goalie Thomas Greiss will help keep them close in more games, too. But the Wings are still terrible, most of all on the back end. All six of their defensemen would be third-pairing guys, at best, on a contender.
Filip Hronek is not a 3rd-pair defensemen, and the Red Wings have an abundance of second-pair guys after him in DeKeyser, Stecher and Nemeth. Merrill, Staal, Biega, they are what they are, but that’s okay.
Oh well it is Chicago, the guy sure doesn’t know Hockey. He could have cut and past something from a HSJ, etc. Hronek,certainly is not a 3rd pairing..I am hoping he is a 1st pairing. His play in Europe seems to indicate that he will be a growing 1st Pairing adding to PP and PK. I watched Stetcher play his 1st game with the Nucks in front of Parents. He is still a young guy, playing in the NHL as a DMan, not an easy position to be in with the todays hockey. He will be fine as he grows into a DMan. LOL, have the Hawks have replacements for Dach (a 1st liner right know), Toews both missing from their top line. Hawks may be headed for the bottom of the standings.
Butt Bettman has a puppet string to Hawks ownership, JMO
This is a 58 game race to the finish, every game is a must win!! Hawks can’t race with the current roster but who really gives a poop??