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Detroit Red Wings Round Table: Teams Biggest Challenges

By Gwen De Young |
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Apr 16, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek (34) makes a save against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period in game one of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Usually when we do these Detroit Red Wings round table pieces we usually involve our writers and sometimes a guest writer here and there. Yet this time I wanted to try something different and get you, the readers involved. You all watch the team as much as any of us and see things that any of us might just look over or not even think of. So this weeks Red Wings round table question we asked was; what is the biggest challenge the Detroit Red Wings will face this season?

We got some great responses and so we will take a look at some of the answers we received and try to figure out to solve them.

Figuring out things between the pipes

Between the pipes for the Red Wings this season will be a very interesting story to follow. However, let’s play the hypothetical game because that is always a fun thing to do. What if rising star Petr Mrazek wins the starting job over Jimmy Howard, or some how gets the job, can Mrazek be consistent and win consecutive games? Looking into it Mrazek had spurts of greatness throughout the regular season when he took over after Howard was injured.Three times throughout the rest of the regular season Mrazek had winning streaks of 3 games or more. His longest winning streak was five games from January 13 to January 27.

However, now it is time to see if this young goalie can do it consistently throughout an entire season. Again we are going on that hypothetical situation where he wins the starting job over Howard. Yet, you could also say if he doesn’t he needs to stay consistent as a backup and him proving that if Howard goes down again that this team is in safe hands with him. This challenge is going to be a very interesting one to watch and see how the team and Mrazek deal with it.

Next: Being a little bit more rough and tough

Mar 8, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) tries to clear Detroit Red Wings center Riley Sheahan (15) out of the crease as Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (44) looks on during the first period of the Boston Bruins 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Getting pushed around by the other team

This has been something I have watched the Red Wings struggle with for the past few seasons, getting pushed around by bigger and tougher teams. It is really difficult to watch at times. When teams like the Boston Bruins, L.A. Kings, and Vancouver Canucks come to town, they really look like they just push the Wings around and it is frustrating from time to time. So how do the team fix this problem?

Well, it is kind of “in the locker room” thing. The players have to fix it themselves. Yeah you can go sign a 4th line goon who may pick up a goal here and there, but that seems like the easy way out of it all. The team needs almost a milder 2010’s version of Bob Probert. I think they have one down in the minors in Tyler Bertuzzi. Watching Bertuzzi play, you can see he plays with a little more “umph” he is willing to knock guys into the boards and will drop the gloves right after. Yet he also can score and that is a major plus.

Another player that could come up sooner than Bertuzzi would be Mitch Callahan. Fans at times are mixed about him. Some really like him, while others don’t see the hype that is behind him. That in itself is going to have to be worked out by watching him play more and seeing what he can do if he is given the minutes on the big squad. Yet again he is a guy who will throw his weight around and is willing to drop the gloves with anyone. He wouldn’t be a bad protector for the guys that may one day be our players that need protecting.

Next: Figuring the thing that is the defense

Mar 12, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall (55) defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (52) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Artem Anisimov (42) battle for the puck in the second period at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Defense in general

Defense was a problem for the Detroit Red Wings last season and coming into this season is something they have tried to fix and now we have to watch it play out to see how it goes. The team picked up Mike Green this offseason and so they didn’t shoot themselves in the foot with that pick up. Him with Danny DeKeyser I think will be a good combination and will only help the team this season.

However, the team does have a logjam on defense and that is something that needs to really be focused on. Minus DeKeyser and Green the Red Wings defense includes five other players; Niklas Kronwall, Brendan Smith, Jonathan Ericsson, Kyle Quincey, and Jakub Kindl. That is not even including the rising prospects in Alexey Marchenko, Xavier Ouellet, and Nick Jensen who all are looking for spots on the team and will be doing everything in their power to get a spot on the team and if they get will try their hardest to never let that spot go. It is a difficult situation that new head coach Jeff Blashill will have to deal with and will have a huge impact on how the season goes for the Wings. This team can’t fully rely on Howard and Mrazek the entire season, it is not fair to them and just isn’t possible.

Next: Being consistent

Apr 25, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk (13) is congratulated by left wing Tomas Tatar (21) and center Darren Helm (43) after he scored goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in game five of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Detroit Red Wings defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

This team has got to be consistent

One thing I think all teams face throughout a season is being consistent. The Red Wings last season had troubles with this from time to time. Last season the longest winning streak the Wings had, was 6 games. That was between January 13th and January 27th, their second longest was 4 games from November 24th to November 30th. Sprinkled in throughout the season were small two game winning streaks and a few three game ones as well.

Yet the biggest inconsistency the Red Wings faced last season was when games didn’t end in regulation and this is where the team needs to kick it into gear and become consistent. The team finished 43-25-14 last season, 14 overtime losses, that number has got to go down if this team wants to succeed. 14 is a high number of losses for a team that is playing in a division that includes Montreal, Tampa Bay, and The New York Rangers, all of those teams had single digit OTL. Well okay the Canadiens had ten but still, good teams don’t have a lot of OTL. Besides the fact that those type of loses are just frustrating I’m sure for not only fans but the players on the team.

Next: The biggest challenge of them all

Apr 29, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg (40), Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat (18) and teammates congratulate each other after the game in the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Winning the conference

I think this is the goal of every team, I don’t think any team comes into the season thinking “ehh let’s finish second guys, we still make the playoffs but let’s not worry about winning the conference”, I just highly doubt that. Yet this is an uphill battle for the Red Wings this season. I don’t think they are going to flop and miss the playoffs by any means, they might pull what they did this past season and not make it in until way late into the season.

However the division is getting a lot better and the Wings have to follow with it. Teams like Tampa Bay and Montreal are going to be as strong if not stronger than they were last season. Teams out of division but in the Eastern Conference such as both the New York Rangers and Islanders with the Capitals is a scary thing. Then there are the seemingly surging teams like the Sabres who could be really good in the next few seasons if things work out at least half right for them. The biggest challenge for the Wings will be keeping up with these teams and not falling to the back of the packs with the bad teams. This team is going through a Red Wings type rebuild and it might be a couple of rocky seasons, but at the same time, this team has great potential and hopefully they can fight each of these challenges and win the battle.

Next: Looking at the enemy: The Buffalo Sabres

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