Last season, the Detroit Red Wings had a big issue with their depth. The team's top-six forwards showed up, but their third and fourth lines let the team down offensively. While we're just eight games into the season, it seems like the same problems are coming up again.
The bottom-six - comprised of a rotating cast of Andrew Copp, Michael Rasmussen, Carter Mazur, Keegan Kolesar, J.T. Compher, Mason Appleton, Nate Danielson and temporary call-up Sheldon Dries - have a combined seven points to their names.
With nine points in eight games, Alex DeBrincat has more points than the team's entire bottom-six combined.
That's a problem that will only continue to get worse if it's unaddressed.
How to fix the bottom-six
This is, unfortunately, a problem that can't be fixed with a snap of a finger. Sure, the return of players like Marco Kasper will likely provide a bit of a facelift to the offense. But the return of a single player isn't going to fix the rot that's infested the bottom-six. While bottom-sixes aren't expected to carry the load offensively, the expectation is that they do at least something beyond what we've seen out of Detroit's bottom-six thus far.
This is a sinking ship that has to be patched up one leak at a time.
The most noticeable leak comes from the disappearing act that is Michael Rasmussen. While he's proven to be above-average on the penatly kill, he's virtually a non-factor everywhere else on the ice. He scored his first point in nearly 300 days against the Philadelphia Flyers, a feat that somehow seems impossible the more you think about it. His continuous lack of effort seems to rub off on his linemates, who wind up going on autopilot the longer they play together.
But, again, Rasmussen isn't the sole issue here.
Carter Mazur is playing just 8:24 a game -- the lowest among Red Wings skaters. If he can't figure things out soon, he's at risk of hitting the waivers. Mason Appleton, who is currently recovering from an injury, appears to be in the same boat. Keegan Kolesar appears to be good at two things: hitting and taking penalties. He leads the team in penalty minutes with 20 in eight games and is second in hits with 24 behind MIchael Brandsegg-Nygard's 31.
A tale of two Comphers
We haven't seen much of J.T. Compher, though that's through no fault of his own. Compher sustained an injury early in the season and has been sidelined ever since. Were it not for Rasmussen, Compher would be the most frustrating player on the roster. He'll have flashes of brilliance where he shows he's more than capable of handling an offensive load and then disappear for months later.
Take his brief audition on the top line during Dylan Larkin's injury last season. While on the top line, Compher pulled together a four game, four point streak only to disappear the moment he played down the lineup. Knowing that he's capable of more than what he puts in is what makes him so frustrating to watch.
Perhaps things will come together when he returns from injury. The team is better when he plays better, so any help he can provide would be a huge difference-maker for this squad.
Ultimately, what this roster needs is more than just Kasper leveling up and players like Compher returning to form. It needs a fundamental rework. Head coach Todd McLellan needs to figure out how to play to his players' strengths just as much as the players need to step it up a notch.
The sooner the bottom-six can figure it out, the sooner the Red Wings can actually make a dent in the standings.
Add us as a preferred source on Google