On February 23, the Detroit Red Wings found themselves in a triple tie for the last playoff spot. They had just signed a seventh victory in eight games and held four games in hand over the Panthers, one of the teams in the triple tie.
Let Derek Lalonde tell the rest.
“Then we made what was the right decision, because of the strength of this division. In one week, we lost six or seven guys from our nucleus due to injuries or trades, “said the head coach of the Wings, after Tuesday’s morning practice, in view of the duel against the Canadian.
Steve Yzerman did surprise many at the trade deadline, trading defender Filip Hronek and forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Oskar Sundqvist and Jakub Vrana. It was believed the Wings were coming to the end of their rebuilding and ready to think about the present, but some of those trades, particularly Hronek’s, served as a reminder that the Wings have their own internal calendar.
At the heart of the exercise: this famous Atlantic Division, the one in which the Canadian must also manage.
“Our goalie coach said we started at the goal line this year. Next year, we will start at the 50 line, explained Lalonde, referring to a football game.
“We still have a long way to go, because we are a product of our division. It’s one thing to have Boston, Toronto and Tampa in our division, but what’s more, with what Buffalo, Ottawa and even Montreal are doing in their reconstruction… These teams have drafted more players, at higher ranks than us. I don’t know where we will be next year, but we still have a lot of work to do. »
The Wings are not yet mathematically eliminated, but it’s just like. With six games to play, they are nine points from the last place giving access to the spring tournament.
The gap is certainly large, but is due to few things, according to David Perron.
“You have to realize that if we had just two or three more wins, we would still be playing games that matter, railed the Quebecer. In the last month, we’ve lost twice to Philadelphia, once to St. Louis. If you win those matches, you’re still in the race. »
At the very least, the end of the Wings season does not seem to be the crossing of the desert that we know around here. Yves Racine’s former team has won three of its last four games, beating Toronto, Carolina and Pittsburgh. Like the CH, the Wings also have patients in the infirmary, but as the saying of unknown origin goes, it is better to have 4 injured than 13 injured.
