The Detroit Red Wings find themselves at one of the most critical junctures in the team’s rebuild heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Having just missed the playoffs, on the final day of the 2023-24 regular season no less, the organization trudges forward with their sights set on ending an eight-year postseason drought – currently the second longest in the NHL. Head coach Derek Lalonde, entering his third year with the club, has a tall order to fill as expectations have risen in the Motor City after such a promising start to last season came up just short in the end. Detroit struggled mightily down the stretch which had many fans wondering if he was the right voice behind the bench for a team that is still trying to supplant its identity in this league. It’s a reasonable question is it not?
From an offensive standpoint the Red Wings’ improved by leaps and bounds last season. When you consider the additions of Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, as well as the emergence of Lucas Raymond, it’s not hard to see why. Detroit averaged 3.35 goals-for-per-game (GF/G), good for ninth overall in the league. But the team did struggle with bouts of inconsistency for long stretches, which was never more apparent than when team captain Dylan Larkin missed meaningful games in December and March. Larkin is the heart and soul of this team and I have to admit it was concerning that there seemed to be no sense of urgency – from a coaching standpoint – in the team’s overall game when he was sidelined.
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Ultimately, it was the blue line play and lack of consistent goaltending that did this team in. Defensively Detroit was a mess last season. The team gave up 3.33 goals-per-game which was the eighth worst in the league. Moritz Seider was overworked in 2023-24, playing some of the toughest minutes in the NHL. I’m interested to see where his level of play is at with a full season of Simon Edvinsson in the fold. While Ben Chiarot had a much better season defensively – compared to his first year with the club – he still suffered from bouts of inconsistency during important stretches. Jeff Petry struggled in all facets of the game and only saw a slight uptick in his play when he was paired with Seider toward the end of the season.
Fan favorite Jake Walman, now with the San Jose Sharks, registered very favorable underlying numbers but you can point to the fact that he, too, was paired with Seider for a good part of the year. Walman left a lot to be desired from a defensive standpoint and even found himself sitting (healthy) in the press box towards the end of the season. Shayne Gostisbehere was an offensive dynamo, leading all defenders with 56 points, but finished with a team-worst minus-16. There’s a reason he puts up those kind of numbers and has now played for four different teams since 2021. Olli Maatta was reliable in an extremely reduced third pairing role, but he is a rotational piece for a bottom pairing. This team needed better personnel on the blue line.
It was obvious to most Red Wings fans that Edvinsson should’ve been called up much earlier in the season. This is where I may have to give Lalonde the benefit of the doubt. General manager Steve Yzerman didn’t want to rush his top prospect and I can see how that makes sense for the long term. But after watching the 6-foot-6 Swede perform down the stretch, during his late season call up with the club, it’s hard not to envision the difference he could’ve made on the back end. That’s not on Lalonde.
Yzerman is to blame for some of the ingredients on this roster, especially when you consider one of his most questionable signings to date in right-handed defenseman Justin Holl. The 6-foot-4 defender signed a three-year, $10.2 million deal with Detroit prior to the start of last season and played in only 38 games registering just five assists. He spent the majority of the season in the press box as a healthy scratch. You can’t have that kind of money watching from the rafters on a nightly basis. Shortly after, he acquired Petry in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that still doesn’t make sense even to this day. The blue line is still under major construction and that’s on the GM, not the coach.
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Goaltending was a whole other matter. Ville Husso struggled to start the season before succumbing to an injury that limited him to just 19 games for the 2023-24 campaign. Backup James Reimer didn’t fare much better. One of the most puzzling things for me last season was this: Why didn’t Lalonde go to Alex Lyon much earlier? The 31-year-old journeyman didn’t see a start until mid-November. While he struggled at times, he was clearly playing better than Reimer. I do believe the postseason drought would have ended with better goaltending management. Why did it take so long to see that an adjustment needed to be made?
It’s Getting Hot in Here
I obviously have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, but I really felt a lack of passion out of Lalonde during some of these tough stretches. He always seemed mellow in post game interviews and when questioned by the media, his answers were always textbook. Where was the passion and fire? Check out this press conference after a brutal seven-game losing streak in March that saw the team’s playoff chances all but squandered. There’s just no emotion from him whatsoever and I find that concerning. A seven-game losing streak should infuriate your bench boss, but Lalonde seems to stay calm and composed. Is that a good or bad thing?
During his playing days, Yzerman handled the media the same way. I’m curious if that’s why the two seem so compatible. The duo have a very similar demeanor when dealing with the press. But maybe that’s part of Yzerman’s long game. Patience. He’s preached it over the years and continues to do so even now. It appears they have a plan in place and that nothing is going to sway them from it, but at the same time, the playoff drought continues for an impatient fan base that is accustomed to postseason success. Eight years is a lifetime for Red Wings fans. Yzerman seems to stand by his decision to bring in Lalonde and he made that clear in the organization’s end-of-season press conference.
“First of all, it was an exciting season,” said Yzerman. “I think for us all a bit of a roller coaster. A lot of highs and some periods of a lot of losses and lows I guess. Overall, it was progress. After five years, more so than just the Red Wings, but the organization in general, I’m somewhat pleased. I can’t say it’s perfect, but somewhat pleased with the development of our organization, the play of some of our younger players not only in Detroit, but in Grand Rapids…and some of the younger players that haven’t turned professional yet. Overall, I’m encouraged with the progress of our organization…I’m kinda disappointed, as most people are, at the end of the season, because particularly the last week was incredibly exciting.”
Patience Persists
The Red Wings have seen modest improvement since Lalonde took over in the summer of 2022. The club improved by 11 points in the standings during his second year as head coach and Detroit was in the playoff mix right through game 82 on the schedule. But expectations are now changing for the man they call “Newsy” and I believe he knows it. This team needs to take the next step. Should he be on the “hot seat” if things go south during the 2024-25 season? I think so, especially if this team sees any major regression. At that point, you have to start to question the voice.
A modest turnover in player personnel this summer should make this club a better defensive unit. Edvinsson is here to stay and he should see heavy minutes in a second pairing role. While the loss of Gostisbehere will hurt the power play, newly acquired Erik Gustafsson offers a little bit more on the defensive side. Optimism reigns supreme that rookie defender Albert Johansson can step in and make an impact on the third pairing. The addition of goaltender Cam Talbot brings a veteran presence that this team so desperately needed and will help bridge the gap to the arrival of highly touted prospect Sebastian Cossa.
At the end of the day, I think Yzerman realizes he has made some mistakes in free agency and that it has handcuffed this team defensively. Those decisions may have bought Lalonde some more time. He’s in the final year of his three-year deal but Yzerman has been vague when asked about Lalonde’s future with the organization. Things are starting to look up in the Motor City, but in the world of professional sports, things can also change on a dime. That’s something Red Wings fans are all too familiar with. Yzerman is playing the long game and it will be interesting to see if Newsy will continue to ride shotgun as the team looks to end this eight-year drought.
“Expectations are for certain going to change,” Lalonde noted. “And that’s a positive. Expectations changed when we went 16-4-2 in January and February. Expectations changed when we started the season 5-1. Expectations changed when we won six straight. We don’t shy away from that. It’s reality. You wanna grow somewhere, we’re gonna grow. Of course, expectations are gonna change as we keep building this, and that’s all part of it. And if we don’t have the stomach for it, we’re gonna be in trouble. I have the stomach for it. Our group has the stomach for it. It’s part of growing. Our goal next year is gonna be simple: We wanna build on what we did this year.”
