The Athletic asked its NHL beat writers to discuss the “biggest concern” facing each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams one month into the NHL season, and Max Bultman picked a familiar one for the Red Wings:
Detroit Red Wings
A lack of offensive zone time: There are a lot of concerns accompanying Detroit’s 4-5-1 start, but this is the one that sums them all up best. Detroit just hasn’t spent enough time in its opponent’s end. According to data from NHL EDGE, the Red Wings have played just 37.3 percent of the time in the offensive zone, the lowest percentage in the league. That stat is likely a symptom of multiple issues, including getting hemmed into their own zone too often and flaws with the team’s forecheck, but it sums up Detroit’s offensive woes accurately. The Red Wings knew they lost a lot of offense this summer and that it would be hard to replace, but they’re not even really giving themselves a chance to do so. — Max Bultman
Continued; the Wings’ players discussed their desire to increase their offensive “pop” with both DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills and MLive’s Ansar Khan on Friday, so they’re at least aware of the problem.
