Ask any Detroit Red Wings fan about Jeff Blashill and you’ll get one of two responses:
He’s awful. Fire him.
You can’t judge him on wins and losses because of the roster.
The Red Wings sit at 4-10-3, and just worked their way out of an eight game tail spin that saw a couple brutal losses (to Chicago and Tampa Bay) but also some games that were closer than they appeared. Since several key players escaped Covid Protocol, the Red Wings have been 2-2 and are also still without Tyler Bertuzzi, who still leads the team in goals after missing the last seven games.
This piece will be a balanced approach examining the successes and failures that come with being a bench boss in the NHL. I’m trying to eliminate emotion here because I think Red Wings fans are so fatigued from rebuilds (not just the Red Wings, either) that the idea of changing things just for change sake seems to be the best option. Though I’ve been personally frustrated by some of the lineup choices, I try to keep in mind that there are other factors at play than just what we see on the ice. But the power play? We’ll get to that.
Regardless, I want to use the words from Jeff Blashill as well as what’s been written previously to try and create a clearer picture of the job he’s done regardless of wins and losses, which Steve Yzerman has said will not be what ultimately factors into his decision of retaining him after this season.
Breaking it down, I’m categorizing it into three parts:
- Player development,
- Lineup Decisions/Deployment
- On Ice Success