After last night's crushing defeat to the Ottawa Senators, captain Dylan Larkin had quite a bit to say.
“The room is mad," Larkin remarked in a post-game interview. "The guys are mad. That was a big game for our hockey team and unfortunate how well we played against those guys all year. And then this one tonight, it kind of wipes away our record against those guys because that was a big game."
It's hard to believe this roster is mad after watching last night's game. The Red Wings have said the same thing year in and year out. They're mad, they're upset and they want to do something differently. But, just like years past, they collapse when the pressure mounts. No matter the deadline acqusitions, no matter how quickly the captain returns from injury, the team still falls apart.
This issue is something bigger than talent. After all, the Red Wings have two players scoring above a point-per-game. They have a Norris-caliber defenseman on the roster. The goaltending has been nothing short of exceptional.
This is an issue of identity.
Red Wings incapable of combating adversity
If the Red Wings were mad yesterday, they sure didn't play like it. The team looked disengaged. Bored, even. There was no response to the Seantors' physicality. They had no answers for Linus Ullmark. The only even-strength goal scored was by Dominik Shine, a career AHLer who played just five minutes. This speaks to a bigger problem on the roster: an inability to handle adversity.
When the going gets tough, the team just doesn't get going. They get nervous with the puck, passing it one too many times. Zone entries become a labor of love. The physicality the team has shown at times completely evaporates. The power play all but dies. Worst of all, the only player to stand up for Larkin was Alex DeBrincat; the fact that it was DeBrincat instead of one of the more physical players is beyond unacceptable.
This, of course, leads to a bigger concern, one that's plagued the Red Wings for some time:
The Red Wings need a difference-maker
The Detroit Red Wings don't hate losing enough. They don't have an energy guy, someone that will practice what the captain preaches. They need a guy who can step up to the plate and give his all on the ice. Years ago, they had Tyler Bertuzzi. Now, they're left with a lot of questions and not enough answers.
Every Cup-winning team has one. The Florida Panthers have three (Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett). There isn't a single player on this roster, save for Dylan Larkin, who is fully prepared to give everything he has on the ice. They don't have an energy guy, someone that will step up if the captain is hurt or is in a bind.
The Red Wings of old had Darren McCarty. The thing is, this difference-maker doesn't have to be the best player on the ice. He needs to be the one that terrorizes the other team, making sure they can never settle into their routine. There's a chance Marco Kasper can grow into that role, but, as of right now, he just isn't big enough to fill those shoes.
Players in the pipeline like Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Carter Bear may take on that role as well. But expecting a young player to immediately become the team's energy guy is an extremely tall ask.
Making the playoffs this year would work wonders to establish Detroit's identity as a gritty never-give-up style of team. But, if they fail to accomplish that, they run the risk of remaining the same shaky, inconsistent team they've been since 2016.