The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed an Atlantic Division preview as of the early morning hours of July 30th, and he’s already arguing that the Red Wings need to tear things down to the foundations as the rest of the Atlantic Division may or may not have improved thus far this off-season:
Detroit, 41-31-10, 92 points — Until the Larkin saga is decided, and whether Larkin is traded or kept on the roster, and who makes that decision with Yzerman no longer general manager (and his replacement yet unnamed) it’s difficult to know where the Wings stand in this division. With Larkin and possibly adding one more winger with goal-scoring ability, this lineup could possibly battle late in the season for a playoff berth. But if Larkin is traded, then the teardown begins with potential unrestricted free agents John Gibson, Justin Faulk, Alex DeBrincat and Andrew Copp all probably being traded at the deadline, the Wings would sink fast. Either way, you get the feeling the Wings are going to be closer to the bottom than the top.
Continued; until the Red Wings rectify the Larkin and Yzerman situations, I have little time or patience for the “LET’S ALREADY BLOW IT UP ALREADY FOREVER AND EVER” theory.
