Detroit Red Wings: Defensemen are already a problem
By Tyler Samson
The 2018-19 regular season has not even started yet and the Detroit Red Wings are already having problems with their defensemen.
As the Detroit Red Wings are about to embark on the 2018-19 season on October 4, the Wings are already having problems with their defensemen. One of their biggest problems thepast few seasons has been the lack of skill and depth on the blue line.
This problem seems to already be trickling into the 2018-19 season, as Niklas Kronwall, Mike Green, and Jonathan Ericsson are all injured and won’t be playing to start the season. That leaves an already vulnerable defense shorthanded.
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Kronwall was the most recent Red Wings defenseman to suffer an injury. On September 30, he left 15 minutes into practice after tweaking something that has yet to be disclosed to the public. As many may know, Kronwall is prone to injuries as he has yet to play a full 82 game season in his 14 year-career thus far. He has had a lot of success with the Wings in his career, but this season indicates to be the final season for him as he has hinted retirement following his contract expiring at the end of the 2018-19 season. Although the timetable for Kronwall’s return has yet to be announced, fans can anticipate him to bounce in and out of the lineup.
Green, who signed a two-year extension with the Wings in the summer, will miss the start of the season due to a virus attacking his liver. Although this is something that is very serious, it is disappointing to see him miss the beginning of the season. Green is, without a doubt, the best defenseman for the Wings at the moment and will be greatly missed while he is out of the lineup.
Meanwhile, Ericsson is letting Wings fans down again as he is likely out for the start of the season due to an upper body injury. His absence in the Wings lineup will be a non-factor, but it is disappointing to see a guy getting $4.25 million per season contribute absolutely nothing.
Ericsson’s contract is one that still has Wings fans scratching their heads as to why Red Wings’general manager Ken Holland signed Ericsson, who has a career high of only a fifteen-point season, to a six year, $25.5 million deal in 2013.
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Although these injuries are negatives, it does give opportunities to young defensemen in the Red Wings’ organization to get some NHL playing time. Defensemen Joe Hicketts, Dennis Cholowski, Libor Sulak and Filip Hronek will all start the 2018-19 season in Detroit. Hopefully, these young blue liners are able to produce and prove they are worthy of staying at the NHL level.