The Detroit Red Wings New Year’s Resolutions

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 04: From L to R Assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler, Assistant coach Dan Bylsma and Head coach Jeff Blashill of the Detroit Red Wings watches the action from the bench during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena on December 4, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lightning defeated the Red Wings 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 04: From L to R Assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler, Assistant coach Dan Bylsma and Head coach Jeff Blashill of the Detroit Red Wings watches the action from the bench during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena on December 4, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lightning defeated the Red Wings 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
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(Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

With an ugly 2018 finally, in the rearview mirror for the Detroit Red Wings, we take a look at a few new years’ resolutions the franchise.

The year 2018 was not kind to the Detroit Red Wings.  I mean the loss of a leader and captain Henrik Zetterberg was certainly at the forefront of the unfortunate downfall of the 18′ Wings. I need to mention 18 wasn’t all bad.  Holland and company were able to add top prospects into the pool of future Wings; Filip Zadina, Joeseph Veleno and Jonatan Berggren are at the top of the list.

Others will point to specific roster moves.  I mean the resigning of Thomas Vanek, or the addition of Jonathan Bernier.  People will point the finger at Ken Holland retaining his head coach Jeff Blashill.  Others will look at the ownership being reluctant to fire the three-time Stanley Cup-winning General Manager Ken Holland himself.

Maybe you consider the fact the Detroit Red Wings continue to roll out the likes of Jonathan Ericsson or Christoffer Ehn, maybe Martin Frk or Jacob de La Rose.  The franchise has struggled with rebuilding the right way.  They have this idea of restoring while staying competitive.  It has yet to work.

The idea of signing veteran players with the idea of flipping them for picks at the deadline is a great idea until you realize you’ve signed them with no trade or no movement clauses attached to their deals.  Folks will spew out in defense “the likes of Vanek wouldn’t have signed without an NTC.”  I have breaking news here, then don’t sign him!  Move on to the next player that has some trade value that will sign without any restrictions.

In this piece, we will take a look at what we think the Detroit Red Wings New Year’s resolutions should be for 2019 as a franchise.

(Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

It is time to say goodbye to our head coach Jeff Blashill.  In his defense, not many head coaches that are in place to start a rebuild survive until the team has successfully finished a rebuild.  Jeff Blashill has had some good moments, but the lack of effort and player development outweighs the good he’s provided.

When Jeff Blashill took over as the bench boss of the Detroit Red Wings, he rode into the position on the coattails of one, Mike Babcock.  The two are friends, and to be honest, they worked well together.  Jeff Blashill coached a Babcock style in Grand Rapids with the Griffins.

That proved to be important because the Detroit Red Wings could call up a player when they needed and there was no learning curve.  Just play the way you have been in Grand Rapids, the only difference is you are playing in Motown.  Being able to plug and play a player into a lineup provides a nice security blanket for a head coach.

When Jeff Blashill took over behind the Detroit Red Wings bench he inherited the likes of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.  Datsyuk played one season with Blash, to “help with the transition.”  The fact is Pav was happy to see Babcock go and wanted to see what it would be like playing for Blashill.  He found out they coached the same way, they spoke the same way and their philosophies are the same.  Pavel decided to follow his heart and head home to play professional hockey.  I am always left wondering if a coach with a different style, a different fresh voice took over would Pav had stayed?

When discussing Jeff Blashill there is no in-between, fans either like em or hate him.  I wanted to give Blash the benefit of the doubt until last season.  I was tired of watching him claw for the playoffs with his aging veterans rather than playing the young kids.

I feel the young players need to get a fair look and they didn’t get that up until the beginning of this season.  The fact is Blashill was deemed a “player development” coach.  I can argue in more cases than one where a young player had regressed at the NHL level.

Take Andreas Athanasiou, Martin Frk, Dylan Larkin (until last year), Evgeny Svechnikov, Anthony Mantha.  All these forwards, in particular, have either been benched, played 8 minutes a night, banished to the fourth line.  You need to earn your way as a young player, but you also need an opportunity to earn your way.  Playing Luke Glendening, David Booth, Jacob de La Rose, Justin Abdelkader over the likes of the youngsters previously mentioned is head scratching.  That is exactly what Jeff loved to do.

I think Dennis Cholowski is a talented defender.  He is currently in Blash’s doghouse.  He needs to be coached up, and I am not confident Jeff Blashill is the right man for the job.  I don’t think a young Zadina or Veleno are going to get a full opportunity to develop under Blashill.  They cannot develop on the fourth line next season they need to both play 15 a night as top-9 forwards.

It is time to part ways with Jeff Blashill.  Our number one 2019 resolution is to fire head coach Jeff Blashill.  Dan Bylsma is on the bench as an assistant coach, allow him to finish the season as the interim head coach. I use the word interim on purpose.  If our second resolution happens at seasons’ end the new GM should have an opportunity to hire “his” guy.

(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Ken Holland has been the General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings since 1998.  He’s won three Stanley Cups as the Wings GM (98,02,08).  The 98 cup was just an overflow of a tremendous team filled with emotion.

The devastating car accident that left stand out defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov confined to a wheelchair, and Slava Fetisov with a direct memory to haunt him the remainder of his life knowing it could have easily been him.

The Detroit Red Wings returned to the ice in 1998 with a heavy heart.  It could have gone one of two ways.  The team could have curled up in a pool of their own sadness and underperformed, and no one would have said a damn thing.  Or they could have come out flying and spewing with determination.  They decided to channel their sadness and use it against their opponents.  With a patch sewn to their sweater that read “believe” the Detroit Red Wings won back to back Stanley Cups.

It would be the first of three for General Manager Ken Holland.  Holland traded Anders Eriksson to the Chicago Blackhawks for the hall of fame defender Chris Chelios in 1999.  This would lead to one of the best moves Holland would ever make as General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings.

Chelios would be a much needed right-handed shot to replace the injured Konstantinov.  He would play with arguably the best defenseman of all time left-handed Nicklas Lidstrom.  At the time of Vladdy’s career-ending unfortunate accident, he was a perennial Norris Trophy Candidate.  He was set to play with Lidstrom for 10 or more years.  I always wonder what could have been.

In 2002, the great Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch provided general manager Kenny with an open checkbook.  Holland did exactly what anyone else would have loved to do.  Bring in Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille amongst others.  Add this group of Hall of Famers to a host of HOF players already in place.  Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Nick Lidstrom, Brenden Shanahan, Pavel Datsyuk, and Kenny was able to achieve his second championship as GM.

The third championship came in 2008.  His only championship in the salary cap era.  The Detroit Red Wings still had an overflow of terrific players rostered from the pre-cap era.  Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Lidstrom were still top 15 players in the league.  A host of complementary players in Kronwall, Rafalski, Stuart, Drake, Draper all played critical roles.  That along with stellar goaltending from Chris Osgood led the Wings to Ken Holland’s 3rd cup as GM.

Since 2008 Ken Holland had struggled to shake the snowglobe and have all the fake snow particles land in a positive place.  Steven Weiss who the Detroit Red Wings are currently still playing didn’t work out.  Bringing in a washed-up David Legwand in exchange for prospect Calle Jarnkrok who is still playing with the Nashville Predators.

As much as I like Mike Modano, that signing was another desperation acquisition by Holland, looking to find one more veteran with something left.  Mike’s tank was empty, why else would Dallas not bring back their long-time star (pun intended), on a 1 year 1.5 million dollar deal?

Ken Holland decided to sign players like Jonathan Ericsson to virtually life-long contracts.  Life-long contracts to mediocre talent has been the downfall of the last 10-years.  No one could have predicted Johan Franzen‘s career-ending injury, but Marian Hossa went on to be a vital part of three Stanley Cups in Chicago.  Although Franzen didn’t work out, Holland chose Franzen over Hossa.

We are tired of our general manager mortgaging the future of our franchise and favoring veteran players with a fuel tank on empty, rather than buying into a younger prospect.  Basically, I am saying thanks for the memories, but all good things must come to an end.  The last 8 or so years have been a struggle for Holland and in turn the fans of the Detroit Red Wings.  At the conclusion of the season, Kenny needs to be relieved of his duties.

(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /

So now that we’ve fired our General Manager we need to hire a new one.  When Steve Yzerman stepped down a week before the preseason started I was so excited I almost made myself sick.  I wondered what was the catch?  What will Stevie say at this press conference?

Yzerman announced he was essentially homesick.  He wanted to be closer to his family in Detroit.  He wanted to move back and continue working as a senior advisor with the Lightning.  He is in the final year of his contract with Tampa and explained he would fulfill his obligation.  Would you expect any less from Steve Yzerman?

It still comes as a shock to me, I mean the whole situation.  Steve Yzerman built that Tampa Bay squad that is toying with the rest of the Eastern Conference.  You think the Leafs are good?  They’ve played the same amount of games and the Lightning have 8 more points than them.

How could a general manager that built this bully just pack up and leave?  There has to be more to this story.  Rumors have surfaced that the franchise wanted to go a specific way with certain players.  Yzerman wanted to go after the likes of John Tavares rather than extend a player(s) that were already rostered.

Apparently, Steve Yzerman called their bluff by essentially telling the Tampa brass he would not have the reins pulled back on him.  A similar situation happened while Stevie was running Hockey Canada.  He wanted specific players to be a part of Canada, and others objected.  Steve resigned from his role.

When a superstar player retires and enters into a high management position, it is an immediate risk of failure.  It may not tarnish his playing career, but when you think of Wayne Gretzky, perhaps you think of the greatest NHL player of all-time.  Many folks will remember the lack of success he had as the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Steve Yzerman has built his resume as a General Manager.  He has a proven track record.  His family remained in the Metro Detroit area the entire time while the Tampa Bay Lightning had employed him.

It makes perfect sense for the Ilitches to reach out to their former captain to be the vital piece necessary to rebuild this broken Detroit Red Wings franchise back into a perennial Championship contender.

The Detroit Red Wings need to sign Steve Yzerman to be the next general manager of the Detroit Red Wings.

(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /

At the conclusion of the season, we expect acting captain Niklas Kronwall to retire.  Some trade rumors surround Nik; possibly he will be dealt to a contending team as a rental.  I don’t see it, Kronner mentioned he has no desire to play anywhere else.

He has won a cup; he isn’t chasing a championship.  The Detroit Red Wings have decided to roll with four alternate captains this season.  I think the franchise wanted to see how Dylan Larkin would react as a player, as a leader without the guidance of Henrik Zetterberg.

On the other hand, Niklas Kronwall could have easily been named a captain for a season, but that isn’t exactly the Detroit Red Wings way.  They like to have their captains be around for the long haul, not just a placeholder.  Yzerman to Lidstrom to Zetterberg to Larkin.

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Dylan Larkin has proved this season that he has taken the next step.  He is by far the best Detroit Red Wings skater on the ice each and every night.  He says the right things to the media, maybe not as blunt as Kronwall but he does have a way of getting his point across.

With Kronwall out of the picture, it will be Larkin who will need to be the one to answer the questions after a terrible loss.  He will need to be the one to describe “we just weren’t good enough.”  I think he is prepared to do so.  I think Larkin is ready to lead this franchise over the next 15 years.

Any leader can lead during success.  The best leaders can lead through adversity.  When Dylan Larkin dawns the Detroit Red Wings “C” for the first time, similar to Steve Yzerman it will start with adversity.  It would be only fitting Yzerman could be the man to oversee this, and help guide a young Dylan Larkin as the leader of this great franchise.

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These are our four New Years resolutions for the 2019 Detroit Red Wings.

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