The Detroit Red Wings’ season is all about making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and if the team starts off poorly, they might consider bringing in the controversial top coach.
He is a polarizing figure in the NHL due to his involvement in the Kyle Beach saga in Chicago. Like Stan Bowman, he was recently reinstated by the NHL, but unlike Bowman—who joined the Edmonton Oilers this past summer—he has yet to find a new coaching role despite being linked to various teams.
However, this situation may change soon. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the Red Wings are closely monitoring him as a potential replacement for current head coach Derek Lalonde. While Lalonde is well-liked, time is of the essence, especially for an icon like Steve Yzerman, who Brooks suggests could have Quenneville on speed dial if the team doesn’t show improvement.
Hiring Quenneville would be a significant move for the Red Wings, potentially reuniting him with star forward Patrick Kane. With Detroit starting the season at 1-2-0 and facing pressure to reach the playoffs, this is not the ideal beginning they had hoped for. Although Quenneville’s hiring could be a smart decision from a performance standpoint, Brooks notes that Yzerman may be concerned about alienating some fans due to Quenneville’s controversial past, similar to the backlash Bowman faced in Edmonton.
Ultimately, it seems likely that Quenneville will return to coaching; it’s more a question of when rather than if. While he won’t be reuniting with Bowman in Edmonton, there are numerous opportunities for the former three-time Stanley Cup winner, so don’t be surprised if he finds himself back behind a bench this season.
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One key adjustment the Red Wings need to make before Thursday night
The Detroit Red Wings will enter the second game of their home-and-home series against the New York Rangers on Thursday night with a record of 1-2-0. The start of the season has been eventful. In their opening game, the Red Wings suffered a 6-3 loss at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, appearing to treat it like a continuation of preseason. It’s worth noting that the Penguins had already played a game, having been blown out 6-0 by the Rangers.
In their second game, new goalie Cam Talbot shined, leading the team to a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators. He was supported by Moritz Seider, who contributed with eight hits and seven blocked shots. Unfortunately, in the third game, despite outplaying the Rangers for much of the match, the Red Wings fell short, unable to get past goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
After the game, head coach Derek Lalonde remarked on Shesterkin’s performance, calling him a “$12 million goaltender” and jokingly referencing why he turned down an apparent eight-year, $88 million contract extension. While the comment sparked some online discussion, it was meant to be light-hearted and certainly drew a chuckle.
Here are a few quick game notes before diving deeper: Rangers alternate captain Chris Kreider missed practice on Wednesday due to illness and is questionable for Thursday’s matchup. However, he is traveling with the team for this three-game road trip.
For the Red Wings, Justin Holl was briefly sent down to Grand Rapids before being recalled on Wednesday, making it just a paper move. He will be in the lineup as Jeff Petry is sidelined with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Additionally, Austin Watson was also returned to Grand Rapids, while Christian Fischer’s status is 50/50 for a potential return. If Fischer cannot play, Watson will likely fill in again. Erik Gustafsson is expected to return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch in favor of rookie Albert Johansson for the last two games. This decision has raised some eyebrows, considering Johansson’s strong performance in limited action. Detroit hopes Gustafsson can help improve their struggling power play. Cam Talbot will start in goal for the game.
The Detroit Red Wings need to spark their power play; here’s one idea.
The Detroit Red Wings’ struggling power play has become a pressing concern, and captain Dylan Larkin has pointed out the stagnation that many fans have noticed in the team’s first three games. One key factor could be the absence of Shayne Gostisbehere, who contributed significantly on the power play last season with 29 of his 56 points coming from that unit. Additionally, David Perron’s contributions, including 17 points and a strong presence on the half-wall, might have been more impactful than initially thought. The team may also be missing skilled depth forwards like Daniel Sprong and Robby Fabbri. There’s speculation that trading Jake Walman, along with a second-round draft pick to San Jose to offload his $3.4 million contract, may not have been as beneficial as general manager Steve Yzerman had hoped.
So far this season, the Red Wings have struggled on the power play, going 1-for-11. Larkin expressed his frustration after a 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers, noting, “We haven’t gotten any quality looks at the net. I think we’ve done a good job setting up possession and moving the puck around well. For whatever reason, we do really well on the first power play, and then we kind of go to sleep for the rest of our opportunities. That can’t happen. Every time you go over the boards, you need to try and make it count.”
Last year, the Red Wings had a power play efficiency of 23.1%, placing them among the top ten units in the league. However, with just a 9.1% success rate this season, improvements are essential, especially in close games.
The primary power play unit usually features Larkin, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider, who need to be more effective and maintain pressure. In practice, the team has opted to move Seider to the second unit and replace him with Erik Gustafsson, a “power-play specialist.” This decision raises questions, especially considering the Red Wings let Gostisbehere go this summer after he signed a three-year deal worth $3.2 million with the Hurricanes. While he may be one-dimensional and a liability in five-on-five situations, his offensive skills could have compensated for that.
One adjustment that could benefit the Red Wings is incorporating Simon Edvinsson on the top power play unit. While it might seem like a minor change, Edvinsson has shown significant offensive potential in Grand Rapids and during his brief stints with the Red Wings. He’s a creative defender and smooth skater who is willing to jump into the offensive play. Edvinsson has tallied three goals and five points in 28 career NHL games, and last season in Grand Rapids, he scored eight goals and recorded 30 points over 54 games.
Though Edvinsson is considered a top-four defenseman and often paired with Jeff Petry or, more recently, Justin Holl, it seems he hasn’t been utilized effectively to reach his full potential. While Seider is an excellent defender and the best overall option on the back end, he struggled to stabilize the top power play unit in New York. Allowing Seider to take a breather during power plays could keep him fresh for top assignments and as a key penalty killer. Lalonde’s experimentation with Ben Chiarot on the second unit’s point instead of Edvinsson raises further concerns about the team’s strategy.
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