After a decade at the helm while posting the most regular-season wins in franchise history, Mike Babcock is no longer behind the bench in Detroit after pursuing not-exactly-greener pastures with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Thus, the Jeff Blashill era begins.
After finding great success at the AHL level behind the bench of the Red Wings affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, including a Calder Cup and a coach of the year honour, the 41-year-old Blashill arrives with the big club as the second youngest coach in the NHL.
Blashill’s tenure in Detroit begins with the team facing a number of questions. Pavel Datsyuk will likely miss the beginning of the season, and at age 37 with a history of injury issues, there’s a good chance he could go down again this season.
Fellow forward Johan Franzen will be turning 36 this season and his opening-night status remains up in the air as he tries to recover from a concussion he sustained back in Jan. 6.
And then there’s Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall. While these two will likely be ready to go when puck drops, they aren’t exactly spring chickens either.
It’s no secret that the Red Wings’ core is getting up there in age and that a decline in production is more than likely from its aging stars. On the other hand, Detroit also has quite a bit of young talent that Blashill has coached before in Grand Rapids. This creates an interesting dynamic between the old guard and an exciting crop of youngsters.
Does Blashill, a rookie NHL coach, have the skills needed to control this diverse dressing room and lead Detroit back to the playoffs for a 25th straight season?
Head coach: Jeff Blashill
GM: Ken Holland
Team Payroll: $76,420,833 with a cap hit of $71,974,543 (figures via General Fanager)
Last season’s record: 43-25-14 (100 points)
2014-15 Key Stats
Goals for: 231 (2.82 per game)
Goals against: 211 (2.57 per game)
Power Play percentage: 23.8
Penalty Kill percentage: 80.9
Corsi for 60: 51.9 (via war-on-ice)
Key Acquisitions: Mike Green (D), Brad Richards (C)
Key departures: Mike Babcock (Coach)
Rookies to Watch:
Dylan Larkin (C): One of the benefits of Babcock leaving Detroit, it seems, was getting exciting 19-year-old centre prospect Dylan Larkin to sign. The Red Wings’ 2014 first-round pick has the talent and skill to play in the NHL already. All he needs is the opportunity. His chance may come with Datsyuk likely not starting the season.
Anthony Mantha (RW): After spending all of last season with Blashill in Grand Rapids, where he tallied 33 points in 62 games, there’s a chance 20-year-old Anthony Mantha could get the call to play for the big club. Detroit has four solid lines, but injuries are always a concern. Mantha’s natural goal-scoring instincts and physicality are an attractive option.
Highlight of 2014-15: When you hold onto the puck for 30 seconds you damn well better score the OT winner.
Pre-season Grades
Forwards: This grade can fluctuate depending on who’s able to suit up, but when healthy, the Red Wings boast a talented mix of both veteran and young playmakers that was only bolstered this off-season by the addition of veteran centre Brad Richards, who will ideally see second-line duties, but who could be thrust into a leading role depending on Datsyuk’s health. GRADE: B+
Defence: Adding Mike Green gives the Red Wings the much-needed right-handed shooting offensive defenceman they have been missing since Brian Rafalski’s retirement. He’s expected to play alongside Danny DeKeyser, giving the Red Wings two formidable defence pairings and an immediate upgrade to what was an already fabulous power play unit to begin with. GRADE: B+
Goaltending: The Red Wings will see a fierce internal battle for the No. 1 job between Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard, but really this will be more of a goaltender-by-committee look this season and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Both fluctuate between very solid and downright brilliant between the pipes and both rarely cost their team games. GRADE: B+
The Red Wings will have a successful season if… Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist continue to show the growth that brought them to the cusp of stardom last season. While all the attention will be on Zetterberg and Datsyuk, if Blashill is to really make waves in the NHL, he’s going to need Tatar and Nyquist to take the reins of the team and become the go-to offensive options. So why not make that this season?
The Red Wings will have a disappointing season if… age finally catches up to the team’s veteran core. While recent production suggests this won’t happen, there’s no denying that Father Time is hot on the heels of the veterans that make up much of Detroit’s on-ice and dressing room leaders. This team still relies on old souls producing for success. Should they see a further drop in production, it could spell trouble.