An aging group of core players can’t stay healthy through a long Stanley Cup playoff run. The goaltending is questionable. They’re a winger or two short up front. Maybe those remain legitimate questions about the Detroit Red Wings coming into the 2011-12 NHL season. Also, Chicago and Vancouver are younger and better. The San Jose Sharks are always tweaking their talented roster to find the right postseason chemistry and might have finally done so this summer. The Los Angeles Kings look like a team on the rise.
No one thinks Detroit is missing the playoffs for the first time since 1990. But it’s worth wondering whether the Red Wings’ time as a title contender has passed. Well, a 2-0 start entering Thursday’s showdown with the Canucks is a nice start. Maybe Detroit can still hang after all.
“It’s amazing looking at that roster and seeing some players that maybe are on the back nine or have had a tough time or lost their way,” NBC analyst Eddie Olczyk said. “But those projects always seem to get turned around when they come to Detroit — a Todd Bertuzzi or a Danny Cleary.
… They just seem to have that knack to fill in the gaps with guys that become really instrumental players.”
But with age catching up to legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and the retirement of defenseman Brian Rafalski, blueline depth could be an issue. With stars like Henrik Zetterberg and the brilliant Pavel Datsyuk, they will contend. But that’s not always enough for an organization that has reached the finals five times since 1997 and won four Stanley Cups. Judge for yourself Oct. 22 at Verizon Center when the Red Wings face the Caps.
– Brian McNally
