Detroit Red Wings Weekly Recap, Wrapping Up Week 21

Welcome to my 21st regular season Detroit Red Wings weekly review. The Red Wings played four games this week and went 0-4. This seemingly washed away any playoff hopes the organization had.

This week also led to many trades general manager Steve Yzerman made. The Red Wings lost 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-2 and 6-1 to the Ottawa Senators in a back-to-back in Ottawa, then finished the week by losing to the Seattle Kraken 5-4.

It was a tough week for the Detroit Red Wings, on and off the ice.

Positives

Amongst all of the negatives that happened on the ice, there were some positives off the ice. Captain Dylan Larkin and defenseman Jake Walman signed new deals that will leave them with the Detroit Red Wings for the next three years.

Both have been crucial to the team’s success this season and look even better in future years. Larkin is established, but Walman seems to be coming into his own on the Red Wings blueline. Could be a difference maker in the years ahead.

Filip Zadina, Robby Fabbri, and Walman all played well this week. They all created chances offensively, clogged up the neutral zone, and played tight defense in their own zone.

They all accounted for one goal and two assists this week, but it was their play away from the puck that got my attention.

Defenseman Moritz Seider is rounding back into form from last season. He is playing more aggressively and getting more involved in the offensive zone play.

He is not the same player that made him a Calder Trophy winner last season, but he is still a top-notch defenseman in the league, even at his age. Seider is still young and only in his second season.

He will still be an important piece of the Red Wings going forward as the organization tries to put it all together.

Negatives

The Detroit Red Wings only scored seven goals in four games, thus lacking an offensive player of the week. The team struggled to find a way to get scoring chances against two playoff teams and a team in Ottawa that was clearly more motivated in the hunt for a playoff spot.

The roster has completely changed with the trading of Tyler Bertuzzi, Oskar Sundqvist, Filip Hronek, and Jakub Vrana. One has to wonder how the team will play from here on out, considering their playoff hopes are essentially gone and key pieces have been traded away.

They still have the fight in them to finish the season, but what motivation is there to outperform the other team if there is no chance at a playoff spot?

The defense has work to do, giving up 20 goals in four games. A little bit on the defense and a little bit on the goaltending has the Detroit Red Wings looking for answers from the blueline on back.

Yzerman and his team have work to do this offseason to upgrade the blueline and between the pipes.