It has been nearly one year since the NHL paused its season due to COVID-19 and much has changed: limited or no fans in arenas, temporary new divisions, different protocols.
The Detroit Red Wings have a different look, following many offseason moves. But several of the same issues persist, including a lack of offense and poor special teams.
The team entered a four-day break Friday – its longest of the season – at 7-16-3, the same record it had after 26 games in 2019-20.
Here are some questions from MLive readers:
Q: What was the reasoning behind Givani Smith being sent back down a while back? He had four points in eight games, and I thought he brought a physical presence that we have been sorely lacking. And to be honest, when I see him out there on the ice, he looks better than (Anthony) Mantha. Was it an injury? – Jason
A: He is healthy and playing in Grand Rapids, where he has a goal and three assists in five games.
Coach Jeff Blashill was vague on why the big, young winger was reassigned barely a week after recording a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight) in a victory at Florida. Blashill said he likes the physical element Smith brings, his size and hands, but that he has a lot to learn and it is better for him to learn while playing more in the AHL than in the NHL.
Ultimately, all roster decisions are made by general manager Steve Yzerman.
Smith should be playing in Detroit. He was one of the team’s few players that created havoc around the net. Opponents were aware when Smith was on the ice, especially defensemen retrieving the puck in their own zone while he was skating in on the forecheck.
This team plays too soft too often. Smith would make them harder to play against.
Smith, 23, is in his third pro season, so he is not exempt from the Seattle expansion draft, regardless of how many games he plays this season with the Red Wings.
Right now, he likely would be among the seven forwards the Red Wings protect, along with Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen. That would leave one more available slot. Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno and anyone else drafted in 2018 or later are exempt.
Q: Mantha is a young player with a reasonable contract, but effort challenges. Yzerman traded anybody (top performers, fan favorites, prospects, draft choices) when he was the general manager in Tampa. If Mantha was traded, what would Yzerman want in exchange: current NHL players, prospects, or draft choices? Is this just a case of Blashill and Mantha not being on the same page? Does this poor relationship put Blashill at risk of losing his job? At what point does Mantha’s terrible plus/minus number become important? Or does he get some slack because he often plays against the other teams’ top lines? -- C Josefs
A: Four years at a $5.7 million cap hit might be reasonable for his production the previous three seasons (.71 points per game), but not this season (.40 points per game). He has not been consistently engaged, as his numbers (six goals, four assists in 25 games) indicate. To be scratched from the lineup, like he was on Feb. 7 in Florida, this soon after signing such a big contract is alarming.
Yzerman has not been hesitant to make bold moves, as you noted, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he shopped Mantha in the offseason or in the not-too-distant future. But right now, he would be selling low. If it eventually comes to that, my guess is he would seek an established player in return. They would be losing a lot of goal-scoring potential and would need to replace that offense.
Blashill’s job security is not linked to his relationship with Mantha. Blashill will be judged on a combination of the team’s record, which has improved only marginally (.325 points percentage) from the end of the 2019-20 season (.275 points percentage), and the development of young players, more than just Mantha.
Playing often against the opposition’s top lines does not excuse a poor plus-minus rating (minus-16, tied for second-worst in the league). It can be a misleading stat, but in this case, it shows what he has often been criticized for – not moving his feet enough or back-checking hard enough.
Q: How serious is Tyler (Bertuzzi’s) injury? He would fix the power play, among other things. – Trevor
A: He has been out since the second period of the Jan. 30 game against Florida due to an upper-body injury and hasn’t practiced with the team since. He skated with the team’s other injured players (Dylan Larkin, Troy Stecher) at Little Caesars Arena during the just-completed road trip, a good step after pain forced him to leave the ice shortly after previous attempts to skate.
We’ll see if he is able to practice Sunday or in the next couple of days. He will need some hard practices before being cleared.
Bertuzzi was the team’s best player through nine games (five goals, two assists). Certainly, he would help a power play that ranks second-to-last at 10.7 percent but has converted in four consecutive games. He would also help boost Larkin and whoever else plays on that line.
(If you have a Red Wings-related question, email to akhan1@mlive.com)
The Link LonkMarch 06, 2021 at 06:04PM
https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2021/03/red-wings-mailbag-on-givani-smiths-demotion-anthony-manthas-struggles.html
Red Wings mailbag: On Givani Smith’s demotion, Anthony Mantha’s struggles - MLive.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment