With reports of record breaking sales this holiday season, it’s clear that people are embracing the season of giving – and the season of finding a good deal. As the holiday roster freeze approaches in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings should be no different.
Sitting in the bottom half of the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings aren’t exactly where they wanted to be at this point in the season. They’re 10-11-2 on the season, their top-five power play is being offset by their historically bad penalty kill, they can’t seem to find any consistency, and their top two goaltenders are now sidelined with short-term injuries.
With the holiday season now in full-swing, here are a few items the Red Wings hope Santa leaves at Little Caesar’s Arena.
An Improved Penalty Kill
It cannot be overstated how much impact the Red Wings’ penalty kill has had on their season. At 65.2 percent, their current success rate would be the lowest in NHL history, breaking a record that has lasted over 40 years. While league-average is around 80 percent, the Red Wings would have stayed in a lot more games if their penalty kill was even just below average instead of where it currently sits. They trail the 31st-ranked penalty kill, that of the New York Islanders, by 4.6 percent.
Just like Santa can’t turn your PlayStation 4 into a PlayStation 5, he can’t improve the Red Wings’ penalty kill overnight. Whether it’s a new scheme, a new philosophy under head coach Derek Lalonde, a new player or even a new coach, something will have to change if the tide is going to turn in the Red Wings’ favor. If it doesn’t, not only will Detroit fall short of making the playoffs this season, but they’ll hold a record that no team wants to hold.
A Winger for Patrick Kane
The Red Wings’ offense is slowly falling into place as the new year approaches. Their top line of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat has routinely been the best at creating chances on a consistent basis throughout this season. Their third line seems to have found some consistency as Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren have done the heavy lifting while Vladimir Tarasenko or Joe Veleno skates on the open wing.
Related: Red Wings’ 3rd Line Deserves More Credit
In his second season with the Red Wings, Patrick Kane has regularly been a man without a home at even strength. He most-often finds himself on the team’s second line, but he’s had a rotating door of linemates as the coaching staff has worked to build their most optimal lineup. Though he has found the most success alongside Larkin and DeBrincat on the top line, he has tried to build a connection with Tarasenko, Kasper, J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp at different points this season.
In general, the Red Wings’ top nine seems to be missing a left winger. Kane, Raymond and Tarasenko are all natural right wingers, while DeBrincat and Berggren are both able to play on the left side. With the aforementioned lines having the success they are having, it makes sense for the Red Wings to ask Santa for another left wing – preferably one that can make as much of an impact offensively as they can defensively. If they can find a home next to Kane on the second line, Detroit’s lineup will fall into place.
Help for Seider & Edvinsson
The offense isn’t the only unit that seems to be missing a piece. The defense is also lacking in talent as Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson routinely bare the brunt of defensive responsibility for the Red Wings this season. The rest of their defense is populated by long-time veterans as well as first-year player Albert Johansson, but their results have forced Detroit’s coaching staff to lean on Seider and Edvinsson more than they would prefer to.
In the early days of the offseason, there was plenty of speculation about the Red Wings’ interest in New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. This speaks to the front office’s understanding of what the team’s defense and what it still needs; if there was truth to those rumors back in the summer, then general manager Steve Yzerman is probably still looking for that missing piece on the blue line.
While the preference is probably still a right-handed, rugged defender, the left side behind Edvinsson has been disappointing enough that a left-handed option should still be on the table. Santa always knows best, and any help that will alleviate the burden on Detroit’s two young pillars on the blue line.
Xmas Time in the NHL
With gift-giving season right around the corner, every team is hoping to receive that one special thing that would spread cheer through the locker room and the fanbase. With the holiday roster freeze just around the corner, Yzerman will have to act soon if he is going to play the role of Santa this holiday season.
