If you’re a Detroit Red Wings fan, you probably had the brown paper bag on standby when the NHL season began. Seeing rookies grow seemed like the only bright spot on the roster, and bated breaths waited for the impending collapse of Alex Nedeljkovic after a brutal preseason.
Detroit had different ideas.
I couldn’t have predicted this start in a million years. With Tyler Bertuzzi unable to play in Canada and the lineup pretty much unchanged sans a few young dudes and cap signings, I figured they’d fall in the bottom six of the league.
An explosive start from the Bertuzzi/Dylan Larkin/Lucas Raymond line and an immediate contribution from Mo Seider have made this team into a potential dark horse for a wildcard spot.
I know, that’s like saying the Lions are a sleeper pick for second-worst record in the NFL — it doesn’t really show a huge difference — but I don’t think many people thought the Wings would be this good out the gate.
Look at that first game against Tampa Bay. The Wings erased two three-goal deficits and forced an OT point — granted they didn’t touch the puck in that extra time. The Lightning have looked uncharacteristically bad this season, so take Detroit’s success with caution, but they followed that up with convincing wins over Columbus and Vancouver. They also stole wins off of the Hawks and Caps, and forced a point off of an undefeated Florida team.
The secret ingredient has been Thomas Greiss’s resurgence. With a better D-corps in front of him — *cough* Mo Seider — he’s made some incredible saves and kept the team’s offense in pacing distance. The aforementioned top line has been a key factor in that offense, but so has the duo of Adam Erne and Vlad Namestnikov. That secondary scoring has been missing for years, and it’s a big part of the perceived improvement. Greiss has been solid for the Wings for most of his contract (he had a rough patch midway through last year but otherwise looked good), but now he has the goals in support to back up his play.
This team isn’t a contender. Even if the Wings go on a 16-game winning streak, they’re going to crumble in any playoff environment. That being said, it’s a sight for sore eyes to see them win some close hockey games.
They’re fourth for goals-for and 29th for goals-against. Much of that offensive explosion came against teams that forgot to play defense like Tampa and Chicago. Still, they’re putting up at least three goals in most games, and that’s good enough to hover near .500 in this league, especially in the Atlantic Division.
The enigma of Bertuzzi’s absence spells trouble for this team. With three of nine Canada games played after Tuesday’s date with the Habs, the Wings are getting much of these harder contests out of the way. Still, Jeff Blashill’s comments to treat it like an injury worry me. Bertuzzi was injured last year, and look how bad the Wings played down the stretch. He’s not going to get vaccinated — make your cheap shot jokes at will in the comment section — and that hurts his team. Still, I’ve changed my mind on trading him after seeing how much he’s the glue for this team. He’s an asshole for risking others’ lives, but ultimately it’s his choice and there’s nothing I can personally do to change his mind. It just sucks because the Wings are nasty with him on the ice.
That nastiness can’t be ignored. The Wings hate everyone in a different sweater. The best thing to happen to this team was Larkin’s cheap shot from Mathieu Joseph and his ensuing cheap shot sucker punch. Detroit looked sluggish at times last season, not giving up but certainly not stomping on the gas. It’s a welcome sight to see the organization — pretty much rooted in its grit — embrace that grinder concept once again. It’s hard to win games without a hard-nosed attitude, and that’s why teams will throw money at guys like Milan Lucic, Blake Coleman, and Pat Maroon. Bertuzzi, Erne, half this roster has a similar kind of guts.
I fully expect the Wings to fall off in the next few weeks, but I don’t think they’ll go on big losing stretches like years past. They’ve got two NHL-caliber goalies and more than a few scoring threats. Note that this success comes without Jakub Vrána after he blew up his shoulder 10 minutes into camp. This team will play meaningful games in January, maybe even February. A .500 season isn’t what they need — they need a good prospect with their draft pick — but it seems like a possibility.
Detroit is back, but how much the Red Wings have improved remains open to discussion. Still, it’s the step this organization needed to take.
Big Tex Goes to College 