So yeah, hockey's back. Woohoo and all that stuff. I suppose I was feeling a little more overjoyed about this before the Wings dropped 2 and beat the Blue Jackets (the Blue Jackets!!) in a measly shootout. I was prepared for them to suck somewhat, but wow, I was not prepared for this. Like, okay, I didn't think we'd beat St. Louis, but losing 0-6? That's a bummer. I thought the game with Dallas could go either way, but I did not expect to come within 3.4 seconds of getting shut out.
I don't care if we lost Lidstrom and Stuart on defense and couldn't even find anybody to replace Stuart's level of play. I don't care if we lost Holmstrom (even though I think he's always been way underrated and will be missed more than a lot of people think). Yes, we have a jacked up defense, but we should still have some major awesomeness going on with our forwards in Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Filppula, etc. etc., and if they're not scoring any goals, then it doesn't matter if you give up 1 or 8 to the opposing team. While I realize that having a wonky defense wonks up the whole team, this is DATSYUK we're talking about - all he needs is a little time in the attacking zone, and if nobody can even give him that, then shit, I guess we really are screwed.
Of course, things wouldn't be QUITE as bleak if half the team hadn't managed to injure themselves in the space of three whole games. You've been keeping up on the training during the lockout, you say? Well, your groins beg to differ. Then there are the freak accidents. Poor Ian White, one of two decent d-men we still have from last year, got a leg laceration and had to have surgery, for pete's sake. Ericsson (and if this doesn't scream Ericsson, I don't know what does), STEPPED ON A PUCK IN PRACTICE, and injured his hip AND SHOULDER. SHOULDER!!! How do you step on a puck and slam your shoulder into the boards with enough force that it keeps you from playing? I. Ask. You. At least that's what I understand to be wrong with him. First the media said he wasn't injured, then they said it was his shoulder, then they said it was his hip, but I think the shoulder injury still stands, unless I'm misinterpreting their perfectly clear reporting. Who else is out? Bertuzzi, Helm, Colaiacovo, Mursak, and Kindl. That makes four d-men out of a lineup that's already defensively challenged. I guess Ericsson's coming back soon, but the rest of the d-men are out of the picture for weeks at least. When it pains, it gores.
I do think a little of this could've been prevented. Some people still blame Ken Holland for not signing Ryan Suter, which I don't understand - he did all he could, short of kidnapping the guy. I don't hold that against him. What I do have a problem with is that he didn't start looking for a top notch partner for Lidstrom after Rafalski left. We needed a long-term guy who would be awesome with Lidstrom while he was still here, and then would provide a foundation for our defense along with Kronwall once Lidstrom departed over the Western Seas for the Undying Lands (was that too nerdy? sorry, I'm on a Hobbit kick). We had the time - Lidstrom wasn't ready to retire yet, so Kenny could take his time and make sure he signed the right guy. Didn't happen, though. Instead we got...Ian White. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we have him - he was great with Lids last year and is one of very few blue liners right now who doesn't scare me - but he's not the Answer to Our Prayers that we need so badly right now. Shit happened, so to speak, with Suter, but the amount of time we had should've allowed Holland to look in other places. However, instead of repaving the street, we just filled up the potholes with guys like White, Quincey, and Commodore. My other beef is that while Lidstrom was here, we didn't have Brendan Smith play with the Wings regularly so he could learn from the best. Instead we wasted our time with Kindl. Why? WHY? Now Smith gets to join a big disjointed mess, and he looks as disjointed as the rest of them. Although, frankly, considering how epically bad Quincey has been doing, I have to commend him for doing as well as he has with Quincey as a partner. Good gravy, the guy looks like he's never seen a PK take place, let alone ever played in one.
Let's focus on the positive for a moment, though. Ken Holland pulled some of his old magic when he signed Tootoo and Brunner this summer. I thought he was nuts for signing Tootoo - yes, we needed some toughness badly, but man, he was not my favorite guy in Nashville (though that was partly due to the whistles). Yeah, I'm a dumbass, I love the guy already, what can I say? Dude's an inch taller than me at 5'9" but just as punishing as any other big hitter in the league. He can Kronwall with the best of them!
Our biggest blessing, though, is Damien Brunner. Talk about the surprise of my life. Yeah, he was the leading goal scorer in the Swiss league last year, but I didn't know he would be THAT good! He's already got a shootout goal that rivals any of Datsyuk's, and the one and only goal in the Dallas game that came 3 seconds before the game was over. He's a little fancy and gets knocked down a lot, but I'm sure the NHL will breed that out of him in due time. The important part is that he SHOOTS. He's always in the right spot to get the puck, and when he gets it, he makes the best of his time with it. The shot might be a little too tricky and miss, but hey, there's always next time. Finally, somebody who makes his own chances instead of waiting around for the puck to find him and then going, "Aw shucks, should I shoot it?" when he gets it. I hope this will have a good influence on Filppula. Not that he has a problem with getting the puck; it's just the shooting part that's still developing. And it IS developing - last year was a big sign of that - but he could still use a little push every now and then, and maybe Brunner will help with that. Franzen I have no hope for; he'll stop floating and score a goal when he darn well feels like it. Also, I'm super glad that Zetterberg went over and played in the Swiss league with him during the off-season. On a team full of new guys or guys who are filling new roles, it's nice to have one who's already got a head start on some chemistry with the team.
I've also been pleasantly surprised with our replacement defensemen. Everybody's been going on and on about Smith's talent for the last few years, but Lashoff has ended up being the Griffins product that looked the most at home on the Wings so far. It's a miracle. And then there's mystery man Kent Huskins. Never heard of this dude in my life, but he was nice and stable for a guy brought in as a panic signing after we lost half of our blue line. I kind of forgot to pay attention to him on Tuesday, but I'd say me not noticing him is a good thing - he wasn't doing any boneheaded stuff that brought negative attention, unlike certain people whose names start with Q.
So yeah, at least we have a few guys that, given a little time to get to know each other, will begin to shine. Once we get our poor sickies back, we shouldn't be looking quite as woeful, and maybe we'll be able to trim a couple of frayed ends. I still think we're going to have the worst season we've had in a long time, but hey, at least it's short.
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