Babcock Bashers Need to Chill

There's no denying the fact that the 2013 edition of the Detroit Red Wings are not what we've grown accustomed to in the last 20-plus years.  Actually, I find myself often asking who the heck these guys are who are posing as the Red Wings. 

They're not particularly explosive on offense, they turn the puck over in their own zone way too often, they are average (at least I keep telling myself they are) defensively, their powerplay is more of an advantage for the opposition (lead the league in SH goals allowed), are not mentally tough, cannot protect leads, go in spells where they make fans yawn with their play and due to the never ending rash of injuries: they look more like the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

Mike Babcock's bunch has been about as pleasurable to watch as a colonoscopy most of the season and it has prompted many fans to think he's worn out his welcome in Detroit and should be fired....I am not one of those fans.

Before we even look at this season, the injuries, etc.; let's just remember he is not the man whom provided the groceries.  I would argue he wasn't given all the ingredients to truly bake a good cake (At least not one that many would ask for a second slice of).

The best defenseman of all time (not arguably, he is) retired and that void was not adequately replaced.  It's that simple.  The damage wasn't even adequately mitigated.  If you were jumping for joy when Carlo Colaiacovo was signed you might just be an extreme homer.  I puked in my mouth a little.  Sorry for that visual but I felt saying I was underwhelmed by that signing just doesn't do my disdain for it the proper justice. 

Couple that with the departure and subsequent lack of replacement of Brad Stuart and you have a black hole for a blue line.  Huskins has been decent when called upon but he is a definite downgrade from Stuart. 

We won't even talk about the human tree stump known as Kyle Quincey.  That can be a separate blog in itself.

Also, as I have stated before, the team has lacked a true goal scorer since 2009.  That hole has not been plugged either and Samuelsson isn't the answer.  No matter how much you or the team wants to believe he is, he just isn't.  Thus, we will continue to see the inconsistent (that would be actually welcomed this season) powerplay and offensive production we have seen the past few seasons.  Franzen has proven he can't shoulder the load and needs help (and also some milk so he can actually stay in the lineup).

I'm not bagging on Holland (I have done that enough) I am just stating the ugly truth.  The roster that was constructed has major weaknesses.

The roster that was put together was going to be spotty and inconsistent as is with not much depth to overcome many injuries.  Well, they have been the antithesis of healthy.  Helm, Franzen, Bertuzzi, Mursak, Gustavsson, Smith, Samuelsson, Colaiacovo and Datsyuk have all missed time already.  Many have and will miss significant time.  This has prompted constant roster and line shuffling, zero continuity, lack of chemistry and insertion of young players in key roles.  Basically, an already middle-of-the-pack squad has been reduced to a team that has to scratch and claw to beat even the weakest teams in the league.

The eroding roster and injuries aside, the schedule has been grueling.  They've been playing games to the tune of four in six nights, multiple back-to-back games and the like.  For a veteran team that is no easy task.

All of the above is a recipe for a disaster.  Many teams would be touting a losing record and floundering.  Although Mike Babcock doesn't have them setting the world on fire right now, he still has maneuvered them to a 7-6-2 record and tied for the last playoff spot.  Prior to this recent three game skid they were in the middle of the conference (7-3-2) at the fifth spot. 

He has them battling each and every night.  They simply do not have the firepower to compete with the better teams or handle the bottom feeders comfortably right now.  If Datsyuk, Zetterberg, or Brunner don't carry the team on a given night the odds that they will lose are pretty high.  It is going to be this way until some of the troops return to the lineup.  Until then, the best Mike Babcock can do is have them scrap for ugly wins and hope to stay in the thick of a playoff race.  In that regard, he has been just fine.

The bottom line is I am not sure even the great Scotty Bowman could do much more with the current Red Wings than Mike Babcock already is.  Babs is regarded as one of the best in the biz and is maybe doing some of his best coaching of his career.  Those who can't see that either have never really been a Babcock fan to begin with or are just looking for a scapegoat.  I think with the underwhelming offseason(s), the injuries, the condensed schedule, lack of training camp and the rest of the craziness that is the 2013 NHL season; Babcock has done his job admirably.  And he still has the best hair in all of hockey.

Be careful what you wish for Red Wings fans.  We saw what a poor coaching hire can do with a STACKED team (Dave Lewis).  We have a good one in place with Mike Babcock and it would be a shame to see him leave due to circumstances that are beyond his control and run the risk of bringing in a mediocre coach.  To be blunt, THOSE WHO WANT HIM FIRED NEED TO CHILL!

GO WINGS!!

Wings Powerless Powerplay No Shock

I have held back drawing any real conclusions and/or blogging about the Red Wings until after a few games.  Well, it's been five games, the Wings sit 2-2-1, and I have seen enough to come to the conclusion that they have a God-awful powerplay.  However, unlike some, I am far from surprised let alone shocked.

The Red Wings are an abysmal 2-26 (7.7%) on the powerplay which is good enough (or bad enough) for the 28th spot in the NHL.  It feels so long ago when their play with a man advantage was considered the ultimate enforcer to those teams that tried to goon it up with the Wings and take liberties with their star players.  Now it appears every player is afraid to shoot, they do nothing but pass and wait for the perfect shot, give up a bevy of shorthanded chances, and they more times than not are one-and-done in the offensive zone.  They look downright spooked.  They look as scared as a teenage boy who is about to make out with a girl for the first time.

Many think this is a direct result of the retirements of Nick Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom.  Well, yes and no.  While it's true they miss Lidstrom's laser-like accuracy from the point and the unmatched goalie screening ability of Holmstrom, the powerplay ills were on display last season and at times in previous seasons post-2009. 

While it's true the Red Wings still have an abundance of offensively skilled forwards, they do not possess the true goal-scorer with the shooter's mentality AND the accurate shot (meaning Samuelsson does not fit the bill) needed to be a consistent scoring source.  Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Filppula, Bertuzzi are gifted players but they are creative passers (playmakers) first and goal-scorers second.  They always have been .  They had the likes of Hull, Shanahan, and Hossa in the past to dish the puck to and bury it in the net...CONSISTENTLY.  They miss that sniper dearly and have been since after Game 7 of the 2009 Finals when they essentially let Hossa walk in favor of Johan Franzen.

Speaking of the "Mule," he was supposed to be that next elite power forward.  That constant scoring threat.  He was supposed to be THE GUY.  With his size, skill, and wicked shot he is dominant when he uses all three elements...especially his size.  It seems that since he got his contract he has used his size less and less and has become a little bit of a floater.  His willingness to go to the net and get the dirty goals has become spotty.  To be nice, he's been very inconsistent.  It seems more and more evident that the decision to keep Franzen over Hossa was a mistake.  The Wings sorely miss Hossa's size, speed, shot, and compete level night in and night out.  This move was the beginning of the steady erosion of the Red Wings' roster.

You add the lack of sniper aspect with the fact that they have lost Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Stuart at the back end without adequately filling those voids and you get what you are seeing through five games which is a slow, stale and ineffective roster that struggles to score and looks inept on the powerplay.  None of the big departures have been significantly replaced.  Forgive me if I don't see Samuelsson, Tootoo, Colaiacovo, and Huskins (Hudler, Bertuzzi, and White in previous years) as adequate replacements for the aforementioned players.  Damien Brunner may end up being a consistent scorer but that still remains to be seen.  However, in the here and now, whether it is due to the inability or the refusal to spend the money and pay elite players market value, the fact is that putting band aids on bullet wounds finally has caught up to Ken Holland and the Wings.

Barring a significant move or moves to bring in a top six goal-scorer and/or a top four defenseman capable of quarterbacking a powerplay, do not expect the returns of Samuelsson, Colaiacovo, or Helm to suddenly turn the Wings' powerplay around.  They need some new blood and not an aging star who used to be good.  Not reclamation projects.  They need a difference-maker or maybe two.  The time is now for Ken Holland to be aggressive.  If not, this is going to be a long and agonizing season.