When the Detroit Red Wings acquired Keegan Kolesar from the Vegas Golden Knights, they weren't looking for scoring depth. Nor were they on the hunt for a replacement for soon-to-be-former captain Dylan Larkin. Kolesar was brought in for a much different reason: establishing a culture of toughness.
Kolesar finished seventh in the NHL in hits last season, never once backing down when push came to shove (no pun intended). The Red Wings have been starved for that kind of toughness for some time. Whenever the going go tough, the Wings never got going. This, in turn, forced the team into a passive sort of play style where opposing teams could run them over without much effort.
Fortunately, all that appears to be changing now.
Red Wings already have blueprint for toughness
The thing about the Red Wings is that they already have a few players capable of taking on this role. Moritz Seider is known for his tough, pulverizing style of play. Marco Kasper led the team in hits. Why, then, was Alex DeBrincat the only one standing up for his teammates against the Ottawa Senators? In simpler terms, it's culture. If no one leads the charge into battle, it often requires players out of their element to step up to the plate.
That's where Kolesar comes in.
Kolesar is one of the toughest players in the NHL. He's fought everyone from 6-foot-7 Jamie Oleksiak to tough-as-nails Jordan Greenway. If any player should be charging headfirst in to protect the star players, it's Kolesar. He's the kind of player that can deliver a right hook to the jaw just as punishing as his pulverizing hits.
The best part about this kind of play is that it's infectious.
How Kolesar can lead by example
When Kolesar's teammates see his no-nonsense approach to confrontation, they'll be empowered to play a similar style. While it's unrealistic to expect his teammates to suddenly join in on fights, it's fair to assume they'll play a more relaxed game of hockey with him on the ice. He'll set an example and ensure that other teams don't attempt to terrorize the more skill-based players on the Red Wings.
It might even encourage a few players like Marco Kasper to up their physicality, too.
If everything goes according to plan, the era of fragile Red Wings who shy away from confrontation will come to an end. Years ago, when Dylan Larkin was knocked unconscious in a game against the Senators, the only player to stand up for him was veteran David Perron. Now, with Kolesar on the roster, the team has a bona fide enforcer to prevent those events from ever happening again.
Imagine a line with Keegan Kolesar and Carter Mazur on either end.
Dangerous is putting it mildly.
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