One Year Later: Revisiting A Red Wings Rebuild

For some teams in the NHL, a year makes quite the difference. Examples include the New Jersey Devils, or the Vegas Golden Knights, who at this point last year, didn’t even have a coach or roster. Yet for other teams, it’s more of the same or in some cases, worse. Despite valiant efforts to improve or an unwillingness to make a steadfast decision, many teams remained mired in mediocrity or near the bottom of their respective division.

The Detroit Red Wings are one of those teams.

Last December, I wrote about whether or not the Red Wings should embrace a full rebuild as the team was looking to miss the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. The “rebuild on the fly” strategy wasn’t working, and as the season would bear out, Detroit would indeed miss the playoffs.

Since then, the Red Wings have continued to take the middle road, refusing to do a complete tear down while still offering money to veterans that could potentially jumpstart the team. Trevor Daley was the latest example of that, and while he’s collected a few goals as of late, his five points (2-3) is hardly an effective return on investment for a defenseman making $3.17MM.

It’s a practice they’ve employed for nearly half a decade, and a three-win December are the recent fruits of that labor. Worse, the Red Wings are staring into the playoff abyss, nine points out of the final wildcard spot. At this point, it’s likely a fool’s paradise thinking that Detroit has any chance at making the playoffs. But general manager Ken Holland has gone on record saying he’s not interested in a rebuild. 

MLive’s Ansar Khan wrote extensively about their troubles, and beyond their goal scoring woes, the Red Wings, he writes, are exactly as their record indicates. At 13-15-1, they’re fooling no one, except maybe themselves, about making a playoff run. Khan doesn’t expect them to be in there, though he leaves it open for a miracle turnaround. He adds that their best bargaining chip is Mike Green, who could fetch a haul from the right team.

But the Red Wings problems run deeper than just missing the playoffs. It’s a stubborn refusal to do what might be painful but necessary. It’s something that many teams reluctantly did after years of suffering through malaise–be it the Toronto Maple Leafs or New Jersey Devils. Even the Los Angeles Kings broomed their general manager and coach, both of whom were in place for two Stanley Cup titles. Outside of Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha, Detroit has no elite talent capable of leading them into contender status once again. Andreas Athanasiou has struggled after waiting out a contract, and coach Jeff Blashill once again has him in the proverbial doghouse, giving him just 8:34 of ice time on Saturday.

Detroit News writer Gregg Krupa has been vocal about the “process” not working, and at some point, as the same errors and results continue, something has to be done to reverse course. As  Holland works through his final year without an extension in place, one can only wonder if ownership believes that a fresh pair of eyes are needed to finally plunge into a rebuild that emphasizes youth. For all of the posturing that the Red Wings have made about infusing youth into their lineup, they’re still the oldest team in the NHL. The only question that remains is if they bring in new blood–much like Mike Ilitch did when he hired Jimmy Devellano away from the then dominant New York Islanders in 1982. That move would transition Detroit out of one of the most brutal stretches in team history, known as the “Dead Wings” era.

Though there are intriguing prospects waiting, none seem ready to step in and save the team. That type of talent is only found early on in the draft–or sometimes–a bit later if luck will have it. The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription needed) wrote about how the Red Wings drafting as of late hasn’t yielded the talent necessary to take the next step. This is troubling for a team trying to “rebuild on the fly.” If they can’t draft high-end talent and can’t make the playoffs either, it’s the perfect combination for a return to the hockey wilderness.

There are a lot of tough decisions ahead for the Red Wings. But it’s clear that their familiar approach isn’t working anymore.