It's no secret that the Detroit Red Wings blue line just ain't that deep. Yeah, I like their top four, to an extent, anyway. But as for the potential bottom pairing? Jacob Bernard-Docker's the only player I have faith in, and who knows if he'll end up beating out the vets?
And it turns out everyone's noticing. Take Sara Civian of Bleacher Report, who couldn't have been more blunt when she predicted "The situation on defense makes or breaks Detroit's playoff hopes."
Civian couldn't have said it better, but she elaborated, "The Red Wings desperately need an upgraded defense, and they didn't do much to drastically improve the situation in the offseason (which was fair because the market was so weak). Will the young players who stepped it up in the second half last season fully break out and solve this problem? Will Steve Yzerman outsource with a trade? One of these scenarios has to happen."
Yeah, weak market and all, but there are 224 defensemen at any given time in the NHL, and maybe more, if teams keep an eighth man at the blue line while rolling with just 13 forwards. You'd think that, at some point, Steve Yzerman could've solved this problem.
But, as I implied yesterday and so many other times over the past few months, maybe Yzerman's just more interested in sticking with his Yzerplan? Yeah, if there's a phenomenal top-four player out there and they're interested in coming to Detroit, you bring them in.
You can also argue it's a good call to keep away from anyone you don't envision will help your team long term over someone like Axel Sandin-Pellikka. So this isn't a knock on Yzerman.
Detroit Red Wings blue line must step up if they plan on making a playoff run
That was the burning question Civian outlined in that quote above. If a youngster like Sandin-Pellikka does enough in Grand Rapids to warrant a look with the big club if the Red Wings are in the hunt, and if you get solid improvement from Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson, and if Bernard-Docker gets a fair shake and proves he's a steal, I like Detroit's chances.
But that's a lot of 'ifs,' so I'm not getting ahead of myself. Realistically, the Red Wings rank sixth in the eight-team Atlantic. They don't have a surefire top-six left winger outside Alex DeBrincat, their blue line is still sketchy, and, let's face it, until we see John Gibson in action, the goaltending's still a question mark.
Either way, if the blue line gets it together in the preseason, and they keep getting it together when the games count, I'll have more optimism. Right now, Civian's right, and the Red Wings have a lot to prove.
Maybe they'll "rise up" when they face off with the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the preseason when September 23rd rolls around.