Sigh. It’s time for some power rankings and pre-trade-deadline discussions ([sarcasm] because, of course, it only takes 20 or so games to determine who’s selling come March [/sarcasm]).
This morning, Athletic is enjoying its long tradition of critiquing the middling Red Wings over the course of Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille’s power rankings, though the gents do give the Wings’ top defensive pair some due praise for the first time…ever?
20. Detroit Red Wings, 10-10-2
Last week: 21
Sean’s ranking: 20
Dom’s ranking: 19At long last, Moritz Seider has a competent partner and the Red Wings have a terrific top pair. Simon Edvinsson has lived up to the hype so far and has been better than advertised for Detroit. The team’s top pair is getting buried in difficult minutes as usual, but Edvinsson’s presence has allowed Seider’s pair to not just survive those minutes, but dominate them. In 279 minutes together the pair has earned 58 percent of the expected goals while outscoring teams 10-5. Defensively, they’ve felt impenetrable. Edvinsson is the missing piece and, lucky for the Red Wings, is on an entry-level deal for this season and the next one. What he’s delivering at that price is exceptional.
Now about the rest of the defense…
And the affable Max Bultman’s been asked to already task the Red Wings with “selling” at the trade deadline…
Detroit Red Wings
Record: 10-10-2
Playoff tier: Long shot
Trade deadline buyer or seller? Cautious sellerIt’s not so much that the Red Wings are off to a slow start, but rather that they haven’t shown much of a path to a possible turnaround. The team’s defense is improved, but Detroit still spends too much time having to defend on most nights, and the offense has taken a significant step back. A strong power play and good goaltending thus far have kept them nominally afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff field, but their five-on-five game just hasn’t been good enough to believe in them actually emerging from that race. Selling at the deadline, then, seems probable. Still, there are only a couple of players on expiring contracts who would be expected to garner much interest. Alex Lyon and Patrick Kane stand out at the top of that list — if Kane wants to move again, that is. — Max Bultman
The Red Wings probably need a good power forward and another shut-down defender who can spare Seider and Edvinsson some of those hard minutes on defense, but I’ve been saying that all season long, and I’ve been saying that the team may not rectify those situations until the trade deadline anyway.
That being said, I don’t see the Wings as a straight seller, and I’m a lot more optimistic about the Wings’ chances of turning things around than, say, the Hockey News’s Jason Chen…
26. Detroit Red Wings (10-10-2, -11. Last week: 28)
Playoff hopeful. For Steve Yzerman and their fan base’s sake, I do hope they make the playoffs. They’ve won three of their last four, but scoring is a huge concern. They re-signed Patrick Kane and added Vladimir Tarasenko, but this is 2024, not 2014.
Or SI’s Jon Alfano, who seems to not be bothered to check the Red Wings’ current record…
Detroit Red Wings
Preseason Prediction: End Playoff Drought
Current Status: Oh BoyOh Detroit, when will it end?
Once again, the Red Wings are off to a slow start and currently sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-10-2 record. If anything, the Red Wings have regressed compared to last season, when they just missed out on the final playoff spot due to tiebreakers. There’s still time to turn things around, but the vibes in Detroit are definitely off right now.
The Red Wings are 10-10-and-2 and are 11th in the East. Not numbers that are playoff-inspiring right now, but we all know that the team is in a crucial stretch which may determine whether the current coaching staff and current roster survive until the end of the year, and that’s okay.
