Detroit Red Wings Round Table: Teams Biggest Challenges

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