The Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari included the Red Wings in a set of “Sour Rankings” which highlight the bottom ten teams in the NHL, and Ferrari expresses concern about the Wings’ very mediocre 4-5-and-1 start:
Detroit Red Wings, 4-5-1, 9 points, 450 P%
How are you still here as well, Detroit? The Red Wings were everyone’s sweetheart last season. A group of veterans were thrown together with some young players in an unconventional rebuild that had some ups and downs. But they managed to stay in the playoff race until virtually the very last second.
This year, the team is struggling to look functional consistently.
The good news is Lucas Raymond looks like he’s a star. Moritz Seider continues to prove he’s a pillar to build around on the back end. Simon Edvinsson has been impressive in his first extended stint in the NHL. They’ve received good goaltending from Cam Talbot (.913 SP) and Alex Lyon (.916).
The rest of the roster hasn’t pulled their weight, though. Even typically reliable veterans, such as Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane, have been inconsistent.
The Red Wings have a path to improvement, but they need to get their acts together quickly.
Continued; it’s hard to argue with Ferrari, and coach Lalonde mentioned that Larkin is among the players who need to step up yesterday (though he has a lot of company at this point), so there’s that…
I’m not panicking over the Red Wings’ difficult start, but if they don’t get their acts together over the course of the next 13 November games, heads will have to roll, in terms of both player personnel and coaching staffs.
