5 gifts for the Detroit Red Wings this holiday season

Detroit Red Wings signing Patrick Kane was a real gift.

The Detroit Red Wings made a lot of moves this off-season. They're a deeper team than in years past and have survived the season's bumps and bruises. This is something that could not be said about the teams of recent years who almost always fell apart without that added firepower.

This year, Steve Yzerman made a move mid-season to sign a new face. They spent all of $2.75 million (prorated, so about $2.5 million) on one of the perennial scorers in the National Hockey League. The team won the Patrick Kane sweepstakes, seeing him come to Hockeytown and join the Red Wings.

There are many reasons to see why Kane chose Detroit, many of which we have written about. Whether it was a chance to play, a chance to prove himself, or his reunion with Alex DeBrincat. But he's here now, and while it may still look weird to see KANE #88 on a Red Wings jersey floating around on the ice, it sure has been fun.

He's played in nine games for the Red Wings, with four goals and five assists for nine total points. He's stepped up with the forward core and been able to do his job as needed. On the powerplay, he looks exceptional. Detroit has to be happy with how Kane has looked so far, seemingly coming all the way back from his hip resurfacing surgery.

Detroit Red Wings having 3 goalies has been a gift.

The Detroit Red Wings have three NHL-caliber goaltenders for the time being. Three guys who are veterans or at least have established that they can play at the NHL level. While there were big hopes for Ville Husso coming into the year, he has struggled to be more of a durable netminder.

However, Husso has been a liability between the pipes for Detroit, and now he is out injured, likely for some time. He tweaked or pulled something that left him coming off the ice early in a recent loss to the Ducks, and now Detroit is without their "no.1" goalie. But their true No. 1 is Alex Lyon. However, Lyon is also out injured.

Lyon has been solid and healthy when he's been on the ice, but without Lyon, the Red Wings are three goalies deep on their last leg. James Reimer is the next man up and finds himself in the crease now. The longtime NHL veteran is trying to be the team's starter in the wake of two absences.

The Red Wings were also forced to bring in Michael Hutchinson from the minors to serve as the team's new backup. But, the gift amid all of this is the team's depth in the crease. Sure, Husso could be better. Sure, Reimer could be better. But with three NHL-caliber goalies, it has saved Detroit from grabbing Jimmy Howard and Chris Osgood out of the Bally Sports booth, forcing them to get between the pipes.

It's saved them from relying on Michael Hutchinson as the goalie if they only had two NHL-caliber goalies. It may not seem like much, especially in a time of struggle, but Detroit should be happy with the three-headed monster in the crease.

Detroit Red Wings have had exceptional depth in forward core this year.

It may not be a "new gift," but it's one that has some new pieces and recycled pieces as well. The Detroit Red Wings forward core is much stronger than it has been in recent years. They have lines they can roll with depth throughout, allowing them to be competitive.

The Detroit Red Wings can score. They can score in the top line, the middle-six, and even the fourth line, which taps into the offense from time to time. In recent years, that bottom six has been a real liability, and the Red Wings' second line even struggled at times. There was no depth to this team at all, but in 2023-24, that has changed.

It sure helps to add in someone like Alex DeBrincat, who came over in the big trade this summer with Detroit's nemesis, the Ottawa Senators. But J.T. Compher has been a big addition up the middle, settling in well with the Red Wings. Daniel Sprong is carving out a role in the middle-/bottom-six with Detroit as a scorer, producing good offense.

On top of that, they have seen Lucas Raymond continue to come into his own and be a force within the top six for the Red Wings. It's been great to see the forwards blossoming, and it has only allowed the Red Wings to continue improving their team offensively. The depth up front is a lovely gift.

Steve Yzerman continues to be a gift to the Detroit Red Wings.

The Detroit Red Wings trusting in Steve Yzerman to lead the way with this organization is the right move. I'll die on that hill and continue to stand with the Yzerplan until I find a reason not to believe it. Some folks out there think that Yzerman is not the guy and cannot mimic what he did in Tampa Bay.

But let's get a few things straight. The Detroit Red Wings roster that Yzerman inherited when he took over was bad, real bad It was the leftovers from Ken Holland, who is now actively running Edmonton into the ground and ruining Connor McDavid's hopes of a Stanley Cup championship (story for another time).

However, Yzerman has taken that team full of nothing and rid it of useless money that was tied up with buyouts and bad contracts. On top of that, the draft lottery has been unkind to Detroit. People want to sit and talk about this player and that player that the Red Wings could have had, but it happens every year.

If Detroit landed the top pick and drafted Jack Hughes, it would be a much different conversation. However, Detroit fell and has continued to fall, but Yzerman has been able to find value in his draft picks, and those players are poking through to the NHL already, including those who are already here.

He's brought Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, signed Patrick Kane, and overall been pretty savvy with the players he brought in with the Red Wings organization. There have been a few moves that not everyone likes, but I find it very hard to sit here and criticize what Yzerman has done because this team has come a long way, and they are not done yet.

I'll continue to view Steve Yzerman & the Yzerplan this holiday season as a great gift to the Detroit Red Wings organization.

Derek Lalonde is a gift to the Detroit Red Wings.

Yup. You read that right. Being the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, Derek Lalonde is the right move. It's a gift. It's incredible how quickly this fanbase is ready to jump ship. When Jeff Blashill was at the end of his road in Detroit, everyone hated him and wanted him gone. They wanted Blashill gone for a long time, and it was apparent.

Yet, some folks openly said they wished they had Blashill back over Lalonde. Come on now. The Detroit Red Wings bringing in Newsy to serve as bench boss has been good. The team gels well with one another, and then it's going good, it's great.

Now, I'm not saying Lalonde is Scotty Bowman or the guy who's going to be some hero of a coach. He's got plenty to clean up and a lot of work to do to get this team back on track and out of the rut they are in, but Detroit has to keep plugging away, hoping that they can get out of it.

Lalonde is the right man for the job. There's room to ask questions and be concerned with Lalonde, but marching down to Little Caesars Arena with pitchforks calling for Lalonde's head is insane. If anything, let's fire Bob Boughner first, or take a look at the staff surrounding Lalonde because not all of them are guys he brought in with him.

The Red Wings are working to right the ship right now, and a lot still needs to be done, but bailing on Lalonde right now is a bit extreme. Sure, it's a conversation to be had if Detroit throws away the entire season. But the Red Wings are still a long way down the drain.

In the holiday spirit, give the guy a break. Lalonde deserves a gift from the fans, in my opinion. Water always finds its level, and the Red Wings will snap out of this rut.