State of the Wings

The Red Wings are now 2-2, after dropping the first two to the Blues in Stockholm. Coming into the season, many experts predicted the Wings would take a step backward. We all know they lost some major firepower with no Hossa, Hudler, and Samuelsson. Yet, they kept their defense intact. So where do they stand?

On offense, they are still a bit out of sync. Hossa was the type of player who could fit in almost anywhere. His speed set him apart. He could jump on a loose puck and race toward the net, creating opportunities on his own. That aspect of the Wings' game is now gone forever. The absence of Hudler and Samuelsson is less noticeable. New signees like Bertuzzi and Williams offer a similar ability. Williams patrols the point on the power play, like Samuelsson, and may be an upgrade. His shot may not be as heavy as Samuelsson, but he gets it on net.

With Franzen out for four months, Babcock moved Zetterberg and Datsyuk onto the same line. Bertuzzi is the lucky winger who gets to join them. They were quite effective last Saturday. Bertuzzi is like another Homer on the ice and, despite his aging back, still has the hockey instincts to stay in step. Valterri Filpulla centers the 2nd line with Ville Leino and Cleary. Leino scored Saturday and has already shown the skill necessary for a top 6 forward. It's a testament to the Wings that they can land top 6 talent on such short notice. Leino was undrafted but became the top player in the Finnish league. He signed with the Wings as a free agent, likely due to their reputation. To Leino's credit, he accepted a full season in the minors to prepare for the NHL. Now he's on the 2nd line and the power play.

Williams, Bertuzzi, Leino, and recent grinder Patrick Eaves... lots of new faces. It's no surprise they're out of sync. They'll improve. The defense, though, is the bigger concern. They still have difficulty clearing the puck from their own zone. Anaheim, Chicago, and Pittsburgh terrorized the Wings last year in the playoffs by ramping up the offensive pressure. The Wings couldn't work their pinpoint outlet passes. That problem remains. With all the hoopla surrounding the Wings' loss of Hossa and others this offseason, perhaps the biggest loss was two years ago - when Drake retired. Drake never put up eye-popping numbers, but, partnered with Draper and Maltby, he dominated that 4th line. The 4th line used to be a huge advantage for the Wings, but last season and in four games this year, the Wings' 4th line can't keep up. Maltby and Draper are slower no doubt and perhaps they've lost some bite. The bite is what Drake brought to the table. Patrick Eaves may bring that back, but he's been a healthy scratch 3 of 4 games, so that doesn't bode well.

Holland signed enforcer Brad May last week, but he's only getting 6-7 minutes/game. The Wings need a grinder (or two) who can disrupt the attack, cause havoc, and maybe score a goal here or there. That is what's missing. They feel that loss on the penalty kill too.

Pistons win another exhibition
Perhaps the one thing to take from the exhibition season so far is that the team is having fun. That's a huge change from last year. One difference that I've noticed between Kuester and Michael Curry is that Curry's decisions were reactionary. He was always looking to match up his lineup with the oppositions. That's why Maxiell would play 20 minutes some nights and then earn a DNP-CD the next. Kuester is operating a bit more proactively. He realizes he's got four high-scoring guards on his team, so he's experimenting with 3-guard lineups. In the most recent exhibition, they used the 3-guard set for half the game. This will hopefully force some adjustments by the opposition. The downside is that the Pistons will turn the ball over like crazy. The only true point guard on the roster (Bynum) is still a ball-handling work-in-progress. Hamilton and Gordon will always lose the handle, and Stuckey... well, he'll be splitting time between the 1, 2, and 3 spots... I doubt he'll improve much as a true point guard.

So, we might as well accept it right now... this team might lead the league in TOs.

But they'll be fun to watch.

Another interesting note is that Charlie V is still out. The Patrick Hayes blog (link on the right sidebar) mentions that Kuester may stick with the Kwame Brown/Ben Wallace starting lineup. That would mean Charlie V comes off the bench. If Kwame and Ben bring the pain defensively, this experiment could work.