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Steve Yzerman put on blast by NHL insider to make imminent moves to help playoff clinch
Photo credit: Screenshot
An NHL insider urged the Detroit Red Wings to make imminent moves to help the team return to the playoffs.
Another spring without playoff hockey in Detroit has left fans frustrated. After a 39-35-8 finish last season, the patience with Steve Yzerman's rebuild is being tested.
The NHL insider Frank Seravalli didn't mince words when talking about the state of Detroit's blue line in a recent intervention:
"Anything that plays defense, like legit defenders. That's what the Detroit Red Wings need. They have to overhaul their defense. I feel like a broken record saying this. They need to get better on the blue line, and they have not done so to this point."
That defensive need isn't news to anyone who's been following the team, and after underwhelming summer acquisitions at the blue line, it seems newly acquired John Gibson will have to pull the team.
Of course, Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson are expected to take another step, but they can't do it all alone.
Seravalli went further, pointing to the urgency of the moment:
"It can't just be on the young guys to get them there. They need some proper support... How are you going to break through to get past the Montreal Canadiens or the Ottawa Senators? Two teams who got into the playoffs this year. They're going to have to do that and they've got a lot of work to do."
Montreal and Ottawa, two teams who were behind Detroit not long ago, made the playoffs before the Wings did.
Yzerman hasn't ignored the issue. When asked about it after free agency, he was clear:
"The most important thing is to find players that fit. What we could use right now is a [top four] defensemanBut it doesn't have to be a right shot because we can move these guys around a little bit, but that would be our biggest potential need."
Names like Bowen Byram and Connor Murphy have popped up in rumors. It'll be interesting to see what Yzerman does before training camp.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 23 | 87 ANSWERS Steve Yzerman put on blast by NHL insider to make imminent moves to help playoff clinch Do you think the Detroit Red Wings should acquire a right-handed defenseman before training camp? | ||
| Yes | 75 | 86.2 % |
| No | 12 | 13.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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