What Comes Next for Jeff Blashill after disappointing loss?

After an immensely disappointing loss to the Coyotes and a rather rocky season, what do things look like for head coach Jeff Blashill?

When the second goaltender switch of the game happened, eyes turned to Blashill and his leadership behind the bench. This was the second time this season that he started a goalie, pulled that goalie, and put that goalie back in the game- the last time being the infamous 10-7 loss to Toronto. Not only does this tactic not allow the goalies to play their best, but it is relatively unprecedented and does not yield a benefit to the team during these games.

On top of this, Alex Nedeljkovic has been starting a majority of games all season which is clearly wearing him out to the point in which he has entered a genuine slump. These last few games have been incredibly rough for Ned which not only wears him out, but also tampers with his confidence. It feels as if Blashill only starts Thomas Greiss when Nedeljkovic is hitting rock bottom or coming close to it, which does not give Greiss the experience and ice time he needs to be a strong backup goaltender. Overworking one goaltender and underworking the other has created an unstable goalie tandem for Detroit, which is not ideal, given the state of the Red Wings defense.

In the last ten games alone, Detroit has allowed 50 goals– a goals-against average of 5.00. More notably, 31 goals were scored in the last five games with a 6.20 GAA. Overall this season, the Red Wings have allowed 211 goals against which is the third most in the entire NHL, just behind the Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Kraken (both with 212). Having this goals-against average trend throughout the season can only be attributed to defense and goaltending to a certain point, until it falls under leadership and coaching.

This team is capable of winning and playing well and has proved that on a handful of occasions throughout this season, specifically, the Feb. 17th OT win against the Rangers and the March 1st OT win against the Hurricanes. Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider are all having record-breaking seasons and are the core components of this team alongside a handful of other highly skilled and well-performing players, but why is there still such a struggle?

Ultimately, it is all starting to trace back to Blashill. These high-scoring losses, questionable line pairings, overworking of goaltenders, underutilization of individual players’ skills, and everything in between, are putting the idea of firing Blashill in the minds of Red Wings fans and hockey fans in general. After this particular game in which a jersey was tossed onto the ice and the Red Wings were booed on their lackluster performance, the push for change is stronger than ever.

Not one aspect of this game was a great look for the franchise or Jeff Blashill and it was evident that Steve Yzerman was not pleased every time they showed him on the screen. What steps will he take to put the Red Wings back on a winning track? It is not clear yet, but it would not be a total shock if a firing occurs and an interim coach takes the place of Blashill. Detroit has a lot of young talent and has the chance to acquire more as the trade deadline approaches and prospects come up to the league for the 2022-23 season.  The team is in dire need of a coach fit for leading and shaping this program into a contending team.