What’s Happening With the Wings
I wouldn’t be surprised if every hockey fan knew about the Wings struggles. It’s not exactly something that’s been happening behind the scenes.
What I want to know is how a team that’s supposed to be so good, can be playing so bad. I’m sure that’s exactly what you want to know too.
I’ve been looking at a number of websites and looking at everything contributing to the Wings’ losing woes. Here’s what I’ve come up with.
Problem #1: Injuries
The Red Wings have had two very critical injuries to key players this season. The first injury was to Johan Franzen and resulted in him being sidelined for 4 months with a torn ACL.
Franzen was supposed to score 20-30 goals this year for the team. Instead, the Wings had to call up a rookie from Grand Rapids to fill his very big presence.
The other injury came to Filpulla last week. He is going to be out until December with a broken wrist. He was also a big contributor to the team.
However, injuries aren’t the only problem that the Red Wings are facing this season. If the only problem were injuries, they’d have the depth to overcome that.
Problem #2: Off-Season Losses
During the off-season, Detroit lost a lot of its best players. Marian Hossa left the team and Mikael Samuellson also left the team. Together, these players totaled over 40 goals for the team last season.
However, the Wings were also able to acquire a power forward in Todd Bertuzzi and a middle line player in Jason Williams. They were able to cover a few of their losses.
Problem #3: The Biggest Reason for the Wing’s Bad Start, Goal Tending
Don’t get me wrong, I love Osgood, and I think that Howard will one day have a chance to shine in a Detroit uniform. However, I don’t think they’re the goalies that the Wings need this year.
Osgood’s 39 years old and looks like he can’t compete in the NHL like he used to. Yes, he’s got over 400 wins for the club, but I think it’s time for the Red Wings to cut ties with Ozzie and bring in somebody else.
Howard is only 25 years old. He’s been seeing a lot of playing time this year and we all know that he’s going to be a great goalie in a few years. However, I don’t think he’s ready for the NHL yet.
I think that the best thing the Wings can do is trade for a new goalie that will play for the rest of the season. In a few years, he’ll be done and Howard will be ready.
Right now, the Red Wings have allowed the tenth most goals in the NHL, I’d have to say that a lot of this is goal tending.
Anyway, that’s my analysis of the Red Wings. If you’d like to see more of my opinions on what’s going on in the NHL. Check out my blog at tipsforhockey.com
