I wanted a different voice for this question so I turned to another hockey perspective. Carl is the host of an amazing podcast called the 4th Line Podcast. Carl is also a Colorado Avalanche fan. I’m sure there’s no bias here. If you want to listen to a fun, smart and interactive hockey podcast, you can listen to the 4th Line Podcast here. Onto Carl’s take:
After the loss of such important pieces named Mike Babcock, Mike Babcock, and Mike Babcock, the Red Wings outcome for this year will certainly rely heavily on the performance of Jeff Blashill. Losing arguably the best coach in hockey puts Detroit’s back against the wall right away. That is not, however, the main reason why I do not think the Detroit Red Wings will keep their playoff streak alive.
The Red Wings are a veteran club that should be able to adjust to a new system under Blashill. The Red Wings will miss the playoffs because too many players on the team wear the red cross of the hospital than the red of the Red Wings. Veterans Zetterberg and Datsyuk, while still talented, have struggled to stay on the ice the last number of years, especially Datsyuk. Pair that with oft injured free agent defenseman Mike Green and goaltender Jimmy Howard who was not himself after returning from injury and the Red Wings have a tough hill to climb if they have a repeat performance on the injury front.
The Red Wings are a veteran club that should be able to adjust to a new system under Blashill. The Red Wings will miss the playoffs because too many players on the team wear the red cross of the hospital than the red of the Red Wings.
Detroit has a number of quality young players on their roster that they will have to rely heavily on if injuries start to pile up, but it’s hard to replace such talented veterans.
Combining this with a division which includes the Eastern Conference Champion Lightning, the Vezina Trophy and league MVP in Montreal and improved teams in Florida and Buffalo, the odds are stacked against Detroit. This is why Detroit’s 24-year playoff streak will end.
Next: Jimmy believes there is a chance, but there is a catch