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Detroit had a horrible 3rd period in Chicago. They actually played well for the first two. With some important players out of the lineup (again) it will take a big effort by the depth players and goalie to make it a win against Chicago.
Believe it or not, Detroit isn’t the “bottom team” in the league. The bottom three (at 15 points, Detroit has 17) have anywhere from 5 to 8 games in hand though. Ottawa is keeping basement style pace in the painful race to the bottom. When I see that, I remind myself that Yzerman isn’t really going to be incentivized to improve this team. We’re 4 games off of the halfway mark, and 6 weeks from the trade deadline. Any wins are a bonus at this point, and it’s tough to watch.
Larkin and Fabbri were out during the last game. They may still be tonight. Stecher is hurt, Nemeth and Nielsen are scratched (Nemeth had been in COVID protocol). The Blue Jackets have Laine now, and the team needs to start winning. They are 7 points behind Chicago for the last wildcard spot. That isn’t something many people thought was going to be the case. Tortorella gets asked almost daily if he’s worried about being fired. You know the drill.
So, here are the highlights going into tonight. Svechnikov has scored in his first two games. The power play has scored in two straight. Depth scoring has been pretty much the only scoring, and without 3 of the top 6 available that will be sorely needed.
Trade talk - first, a headline isn’t a rumor, it’s click bait. One website has Yzerman taking calls and an unnamed rival GM saying that Mantha or Bertuzzi could (maybe, possibly, sort of) be moved. It’s the worst kind of speculation. The agreed upon trade targets by people not desperate for traffic seem to be - Glendening, Ryan, Staal. There are Canadian teams in the mix, so they would likely want to pull the trigger mid to late march because those players will be in quarantine for 2 weeks after any trade north of the border.
Here’s reality - Yzerman just doesn’t talk about his trades. They happen out of the blue, and quickly. If he were to deal someone like Mantha, it would be out of a position of strength (which isn’t likely right now). Bertuzzi hasn’t played in more than a month. Although, the former captain did flip Drouin for an incredible defenseman (boy that deal looks one sided). My stance is this. Yzerman knows how to build a winning team. Whoever goes out or comes in are, in his estimation, an important piece for the team. He’s seen big name players traded as a player and as a GM. I’m pretty much just ignoring most of the noise. He’s almost impossible to figure out, and these debates usually end up in virtual fisticuffs. I don’t have enough Imodium AD in the house to hang with that.
Let me know how you think this one will go. Bertuzzi was an overtime hero earlier in the year against CBJ. Detroit and Columbus have a lot of 1 goal games. Will this be settled in regulation? Let me know.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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