The Red Wings week has been tumultuous, with highs like Ben Chiarot re-signing with the team and scoring the goal to give Patrick Kane his 1,375th point and lows like their 3-1 beating by the L.A. Kings. However, the Red Wings, after a hot December and good start to the year found themselves on a three game losing skid to close out the week, and the month of January. That includes a 5-0 trouncing by the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday that had the Avs looking like contenders once again while leaving the Red Wings looking like pretenders as both teams assemble their best seasons in recent memory.
In the Rearview...
As previously mentioned, Kane made history this week. Over the last few days the 37-year-old winger tied the record for a U.S. born player in the Red Wing's loss to the L.A Kings on Dec. 25th, and broke it in the shootout loss to the Washington Capitals. His 1,375 points consist of 500 goals and 875 assists, with the vast majority coming with during his tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks.
However, he and the Red Wings haven't seemed much in the mood for celebrating the accomplishment, as the team lost both the games that he recorded a point in. In fact, the team has only won one game since they beat the Senators in overtime on the 18th, with a 2-0 win over the last place Winnipeg Jets. Part of that could be attributed to the continued absence of Simon Edvinsson, who was injured in the team's win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Edvinsson, who has been playing on Detroit's top pairing, won't be playing again until after the Olympic Break leaving a 6'6", 200 some odd pound hole on the team's defense, which certainly isn't helping things. The team recalled Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson, who has been on the roster for a hot minute without making an actual appearance, played his second game of the season in Detroit's loss to the Avalanche.
While Alex DeBrincat has stayed hot, scoring his 30th goal of the season against the Capitals (and having one of the most impressive goals I've ever seen) the rest of the team has cooled considerably in the past week. Lucas Raymond, after five goals in five games the week before, had 0 points through all of Detroit's games this week. Dylan Larkin had a rough outing against the Capitals, brake checking himself on a breakaway that led to a missed opportunity to hang one on Charlie Lindgren in regulation, and then Larkin hit the top rung in the shootout before Nic Dowd made the deciding goal, winning it for Washington in overtime. Obviously no one recorded a point in the shutout loss to the Avalanche, but the fact that the team wasn't able to take advantage of MacKenzie Blackwood, who has looked shaky in his few starts since his recent return from injury, is a little concerning.
On the road, and the people we may meet-
The Red Wings don't play another game in Detroit until March, with two away games before the Olympic break and another two in Ottawa and Carolina to book end the month. Right now, it's looking like the Red Wings will need the time to recuperate and regroup during the break. The team is starting to show its cracks, and with the trade deadline looming in the next month and technically just two and a half weeks left for teams to actually move players due to the roster freeze during the Olympics, Steve Yzerman will need to make decisions about Detroit's position in the market soon. The players have expressed a want to add to the roster, and at the moment they appear to be in desperate need of defensive help.
The Red Wings have a few assets they might be able to move around, and I've heard rumblings amongst insiders that the Red Wings could be willing to part with one of the forwards they've sent down to Grand Rapids this season if it means the right return. While rumors abound of potentially adding a top six forward, as evidenced by the fact that they have had to play Mo Seider for 30+ minutes in recent games, the Red Wings are in much more desperate need of a top four blueliner to take some pressure off the top pairing, or if need be, step into it.
Zach Werenski would be the splash move, but comes with a high price tag. Yzerman may instead look for options in St. Louis, as the team has already indicated they are willing to part with some pieces, and as teams like Winnipeg or even Toronto look to truly figure out how much they wish to pare off, the Red Wings have a cache of valuable assets both in the draft and Grand Rapids that they could use to land some much needed help.