Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen examines the Red Wings’ key performers, as well as those who need to step up for Detroit:
Right wing Filip Zadina: He started out playing on the second line. But he has been dropped to a bottom six role because he has one goal in his past 12 games. Zadina was drafted as a scorer, but he hasn’t yet proven he can do it at the NHL level. He has 19 goals in his first 116 NHL games. He’s one of the Red Wings in COVID-19 protocol.
The Red Wings haven’t given up on him. They think he is putting too much emphasis on scoring and not enough on being an effective player. He is -10 over his past seven games.
Defenseman Nick Leddy: On balance, the Red Wings are happy with Nick Leddy’s contributions this season. But he’s -6 in his last four games and has one point in the past 10 games. He has played less than his usual 20+ minutes in the past two game.
Left wing Givani Smith: He’s playing under nine minutes per game and has four. He’s had a few good games, but it’s fair to say the Red Wings have been looking for him to have more impact.
