Not your father's Red Wings

But not your brother's either. The more I watch this team, the more I'm reminded how spoiled we've all been. I used to cavalierly believe that the Red Wings' success was due to "the system" - the ironclad Red Wing philosophy that molded unheralded raw nuggets of talent into superstars. The system definitely worked for Ericsson and Helm, but guys like Zetterberg and Datsyuk were already laden with talent when they arrived. The Red Wings deserve credit for identifying and drafting these gems, but they certainly didn't "develop" them. With so many free agent turnover in the offseason, this '09 team is a far cry from years past.

I certainly appreciate the effort of this year's squad, and last night was a great workmanlike win. Yet, I fear we're in for a troubled season. Put simply, the Red Wings don't dominate. We're used to seeing the opposition employ one strategy - defend and counter. They would concede space and try to frustrate the Wings. It would occasionally work, but, over time, the Wings would win 75% of the games. Now, opposing teams attack. They don't fear the defense or the puck control. The Wings don't have the talent to impose their will.

Now, this doesn't mean the sky is falling. It's true they were only one win from the Stanley Cup last year. But that offseason turnover took its toll. I tried to downplay the loss of Hossa, Samuelsson, Kopecky, and Hudler, but the injury losses of Franzen, Filppula, Williams, and Kronwall hammered home the problem. That's a total of six forwards missing from last year's team - two complete lines. It's no wonder they're struggling.

Of the new faces, only Bertuzzi has shown ability to contribute regularly. The dude hasn't scored much, but he does hold his own with Zetterberg and Pavel. He sees the ice like a veteran, and the shots will start falling. We had high hopes for Ville Leino, but the youngster sports just 5 points in 25 games. He's also saddled with a -5 plus/minus. To put that in perspective, Leino has 1 fewer point than Filppula who's only played in eleven games! And it wasn't like Filppula was setting the world on fire (-6 plus/minus).

Other newcomers like Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller have settled well into their grinder roles. Same with Brad May. They offer resistance, defense, and occasional scoring. Perfect. Unfortunately, the Wings also need bodies to fill the scoring lines, and the Leinos of the world will need to start producing or they'll find themselves back in Grand Rapids.

As for the specifics of the game last night, the Wings muscled out a 4-1 win over a decent Dallas team. Playing their 7th game in 11 days, the Wings showed no signs of fatigue. They benefited from two extremely lucky bounces - first on Drew Miller's goal then later on Bertuzzi's. Jimmy Howard stood tall in net, and the penalty kill performed much better than previously. Next up is Edmonton on Thursday, and I wouldn't be surprised if Howard gets the call again. Right now, Babcock has more confidence in the youngster.