The Detroit Red Wings Biggest Problem: Zones

Since the lockout, the Red Wings have largely relied on two mainstays to power their on-ice juggernaut. These two greats include recently retired Pavel Datsyuk and the current captain, Henrik Zetterberg. Not to discount their other players, particularly Nicklas Lidstrom, but these two have been the fixtures of the offense in a major way. Be it their scoring touch, their leadership, or their flair, these two have won the hearts of fans all over Hockeytown. Given Pavel’s retirement to his homeland of Russia, this team has had a noticeable decline in the last season. Many blame the young coach Jeff Blashill, others the long time GM Ken Holland, and some just throw blame at anyone who wears the Winged Wheel. It’s uncertain where the blame lies, but everyone seems to come to the same conclusion, this team isn’t performing up to the standards of the last twenty years. I believe in the last season we can really see the issues that this young team has and find a reasonable solution going forward.