State of the Wings After July 1st

After making a draft day deal to move Datsyuk’s cap hit, Ken Holland had money to burn on July 1st. After accounting for the RFA deals, the Red Wings have about 14 million dollars they could use to upgrade the roster. Holland made a couple of moves and while he missed out on Stamkos on Thursday he also got lucky when a number of other players elected to go elsewhere. Once the dust settled and I had the opportunity to evaluate the team as currently constructed, I am not convinced that the Wings are better off now then they were one year ago today or even one week ago.

Quarter Mark Check Point

Last year I ended each month with a checkpoint of sorts, just a way to keep track of how the Red Wing’s were doing and what to expect going forward. As the calendar turned from October to November, I sat down to write the monthly recap. After taking the eventual Eastern Conference Champions to game 7 and upgrading at two major positions the team struggled out of the gate. Injuries combined with the adjustments to a new coaching staff left me little ability to accurately analyze the team’s play. With little to say, aside from an excessive number of worried tweets, I waited for the team’s true ability to emerge. Finally in the last month the team has started to turn things around, allowing me to mostly ignore the first month of the season and focus on the team’s bring future.

Series Recap: Bolts Strike Down the Wings

Matched up with one of the best team in the Eastern Conference few people gave the Detroit Red Wings any chance of advancing to the 2^nd round. Despite a strong start to the season, Detroit squeaked into the playoffs with a number of questions about their goaltending and defense. With elite players both up front and on the blue line to go along with solid depth contributor, Tampa Bay was my favorite to win the Eastern Conference. Despite the doubters, the Wings refused to go away quietly and forced Tampa Bay to a deciding 7^th game. In the end, Tampa was the better team and they are moving on to the second round but through their effort, the Wings showed the critics that it is foolish to write off this franchise just yet.

Monthly Recap: The Dog Days of March

Let me start by saying that the Red Wings are NOT going to miss the playoffs. That said, a 5-8-2 record during the month of March is not exactly a momentum builder. With the team piling up losses and weaknesses mounting throughout the lineup, is there any hope of this team actually being effective come playoff time?

Monthly Review: Eastern Conference Rankings

As we approach the trade deadline, each and every team is forced to take a hard look in the mirror and determine where they stand in the league’s pecking order. For Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wing this becomes a pleasant surprise. Caught in the middle of a “reload” the team has found itself near the top of the league’s standings. Despite trying to preserve their bright future, the aging stars have shown they are not done yet. With the kids improving and the old veterans holding on, do the Detroit Red Wings have a chance of winning it all?

Mid-Season Review

Halfway through the regular season, despite many pundits’ predictions the Red Wings are solidly the 3^rd best team in the Atlantic division. With a record of 22-10-9 the Wings are on pace for 106 points, easily safely in the playoffs. After taking into account a few more variables, @IneffectiveMath projects the Red Wings finishing closer to 100 points but still battling with Montreal for home ice in the 2 vs 3 matchup. Despite out current optimism, not long ago things weren't so great for the Wings, as at 6-5-4 record in December included 6 straight games without a win. However the Wings were still able to earn 4 points during that span to maintain their playoff positioning.

Red Wings November Review

I apologize for the delay, but here is my review of the Detroit Red Wings in the month of November. One month ago the Wings entered November with a 6-2-2 record, 4th best in the league and on pace for just under 115 points. Fast forward 15 games and the Wings are 14-6-5 good for 3rd in the division.

Red Wings First Month Review

We are officially one month into the hockey season. After 10 games the Red Wings find themselves with a 6-2-2 record, good for 14 points, 4th best in the league. While it is still a bit early to make any definitive claims about the Red Wing's future, I'll take a look to see how we got here and give some of my observations on the Wings play to this point.