Hockey can’t start soon enough.
If I had a dollar for every Mason McTavish mock trade or Marco Rossi think piece out there, I am convinced I could pay off the U.S. national debt three times over. Don’t get me started on the Mitch Marner discourse, either. The hockey world - and the Red Wings as a whole - are stuck in a time loop and Mason McTavish is at its center.
On a lighter note, we’re just a few weeks away from Experiencing Red Wings Hockey Again. That’s good, right? (Please let it be good). There have been a lot (and I do mean a lot) of articles and takes on what the Wings need the most this season. Most of them involve loading a cannon with Justin Holl and launching him into the stratosphere.
I think it’s a lot more complicated than that.
The biggest thing holding the Red Wings back
In an interview with RG, Red Wings legend Pavel Datsyuk discussed his career, modern hockey, and, most importantly, the modern Wings. “The Red Wings were at the top for a long time, winning many titles, so it’s understandable that their rebuild is taking more time than usual. They say a rebuild takes about seven years, but since Detroit was so high up, the road back to the top takes even longer.”
Nobody expected the rebuild to go quickly (well, except for a very loud subset of fans). But that’s not what’s holding the team back, either.
“As a team, they probably just lack confidence.” - Pavel Datsyuk RG.org
Talent and chemistry can get you far in this league. But what separates the good teams from the great teams is confidence. If you can go out on the ice and know you’ve got what it takes to win, your chances of victory increase substantially.
Think about the last few seasons: whenever the Wings were down by a few goals, the whole team deflated. It was like a totally different roster took to the ice. A confident team would use that adversity to fight back. Last year’s Wings roster was about as nervous as I get on dates. They were inconsistent, jumpy, and rarely bounced back when the going got tough.
How to get confident
This is the big question, isn’t it? Confidence is relatively amorphous. You can’t measure it with advanced stats or a WAR chart. Truthfully, it starts within the locker room and continues through the little things. How do you respond when you’re down a score? What do you do if your top forward is stuck in a cold streak? This season’s success will depend on how Todd McLellan motivates his roster.
At times, they looked like a brand new team. After all, the Wings went on two multi-game winning streaks under McLellan last season. The biggest problems came during the late season grind. March was one of the worst months on record for Detroit. Believe it or not, losing Andrew Copp hurt worse than many of us expected.
Fortunately, the Wings have a chance to start fresh. They’ve got a full year of McLellan behind the bench. Copp is back to full health. While the Wings didn’t make any substantial upgrades to the roster, general manager Steve Yzerman suggested roster spots are up for grabs for rookies.
Confidence can come from outside
The Wings have a trend of adding two rookies per season. Last year, Marco Kasper and Albert Johansson made the roster. The year before, it was Simon Edvinsson and Elmer Soderblom. This time around, it’s anyone’s game. Carter Mazur looked ready in his shift and a half last year. Emmitt Finnie, Detroit’s 2023 7th round pick, has been on a tear through training camp so far. We’ll have a much clearer picture after a few preseason games, but, for now, things are looking good for the rookies.
Relying solely on your rookies for confidence, however, is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, the Wings appear to have a contingency plan for this. James van Riemsdyk, a former second overall pick, comes to Detroit with 1,082 games under his belt. He’s played for rebuilders, contenders, and everything in-between. Like fellow draft mate Patrick Kane, he knows what a team needs to stay consistently good. Having his leadership and presence in the locker room should bring some stability to an adversity-prone lineup.
Just play f***ing hockey
When Todd McLellan took over as head coach, the first thing he said is that the team looked mechanical at practice. “Play f***ing hockey,” he shouted from the stands. “You’ve done it your whole lives.” From an outside perspective, this might seem like a fairly obvious statement. But, more often than not, players get in their own heads about systems or strategy. Fundamentals are the bedrock of any good team. Getting back to the basics can make a huge difference.
A full cycle of training camp with McLellan at the helm should set expectations for this next season. If the roster can buy into his system, they’re more than capable of making a big push this year. After all, they’re just two seasons removed from nearly making the playoffs.
While, yes, a lot of the Atlantic Division has bolstered their roster, talent isn’t everything. Look at the Buffalo Sabres. They’ve drafted within the top ten nine of the last 11 drafts, securing the first overall pick twice in that timeframe. The biggest difference makers in the NHL are chemistry and confidence. We’ve seen flashes of both with Detroit.
Now, it’s time to show it consistently.