The Athletic’s Max Bultman penned a superb article this morning which discusses the fact that the Red Wings’ youth movement may have finally arrived–at least in theory–with the team’s integration of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond into a roster that is no longer speckled with veterans and players who never quite seem to pan out:
“These aren’t the first two names (Seider and Raymond) over the last six to eight to 10 years that people have been really excited about,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said Tuesday. “And some of those guys have come and done a good job, some of those guys have faltered and maybe don’t play in the NHL, and I don’t know that any of them have been elite, elite guys yet.”
He pointed to Dylan Larkin, Detroit’s 2014 first-round pick turned captain, as the one who has proven to be the best of that group of new young players in recent years, and Larkin is, indeed, an excellent player — a pillar for the team in more ways than one. But Blashill’s larger point is a fair one: Hype and hope are wonderful things, but much better is when it all becomes real.
I don’t think Blashill says any of this in a Grinch-y way. Arguably no one has more to gain from the Red Wings’ young players becoming great (and doing so quickly) than him: a man with a job title typically synonymous with turnover, coaching for a franchise that avoided this kind of losing for more than a generation before he arrived.
But during these losing seasons, Blashill has seen some things. It’s impossible to fault him for being a little cautious with any proclamations.
“We’re always excited about potential, and I get that — so am I,” Blashill said. “But potential has to become reality. And I think both Seider and Raymond have attributes to be real good hockey players and real good winners, which matters. Now, how good can they become? I don’t know that answer. And how quickly? I don’t know that answer. That’s for them to kind of decide with their play on a night-to-night basis.”
Continued (paywall)
