The Third pair was largely a train wreck
Albert Johansson: B+
61GP 3G 6A 9Pts
Johansson started the season as a Press box warmer. Former head coach Derek Lalonde didn't give him much of a chance to prove himself, playing only 17 games in the first 34 games of the season. After the coaching change,
Johansson was given more of a chance and played 44 games after the turn of the year. He showed that he was capable of being a steady 2nd pairing player and can carry a pairing if need be, as he was given the task of anchoring the 3rd pair with Justin Holl after Gustafsson got injured late in the season.
He showed flashes of offensive talent, but he'll likely be primarily tasked with being the defensive hand on whatever defensive pair he's placed on. Regardless, his performance eased some worries of Red Wings fans who were concerned with the team's outlook on the blueline.
Justin Holl: D-
73GP 2G 6A 8Pts
No reason to sugar coat it. Just Holl was bad, like, really bad. For all but two or three games, Justin Holl was a liability on the ice more often than not. He was awful at clearing the front of his net and a master at giving the puck away by making one of the simplest plays in the game.
He may be a fantastic Locker room guy, but on the ice, he's actively working to hamper the Red Wings in the defensive zone, and even with a large majority of his deployment being in the offensive zone, he couldn't hold the line or continue the play. His foot speed was abysmal, being far below league average in most foot speed analytics, causing him to get smoked if he's even slightly out of position.
He may be a really good locker room guy, but him being an absolute detriment to the team by giving the puck up at the worst possible times in the worst possible way has cost the team goals, and in a few cases, even the entire game.
Erik Gustafsson: D+
60GP 2G 26A 18Pts
Gustafsson was originally brought in to take Shayne Gostisbehere's spot from the 2023-24 season as the Red Wings' PP1 QB, as well as cover some of the offense that Gostisbehere left when he signed in Carolina. Unfortunately, not only did he not do that, much like Holl, he was a greater detriment to the team than he was helpful.
He started the season terribly and made some of the most confusing decisions as a powerplay QB that I have ever seen, and then couldn't make up for his lack of offensive production with average defense, something that he was advertised as having. After the coaching change I did notice him a bit more offensively, but overall it was the more or less the same thing. After the coaching change, he was placed on the PP2 unit and somehow managed to kill every molecule of pressure and momentum built up by the first unit.
While his contract isn't bad, Gustafsson severely underperformed more than most of the team, and was one of the few who the coaching change didn't seem to help them turn their game around all that much.