Red Wings’ Offense Remains Their Biggest Problem, and Relief Doesn’t Appear to Be Coming Soon

Continuing a four-game road trip Tuesday, the Detroit Red Wings will have all eyes on one part of their team in the offense. 

The Red Wings are not out of the playoff race, trailing a playoff spot by just three points, but some aspects of their performance this season have become glaringly noticeable, and the offense is the biggest.

The back end has been quite decent, with a 3.00 goals-against average that ties two other teams for the tenth-fewest in the NHL. The offense has been the clear laggard. Star center Dylan Larkin and standout defenseman Simon Edvinsson have both been out of the lineup all season, apart from Larkin's return for a couple of games before he pulled himself out of the lineup until he is traded, which has certainly not helped. 

The Red Wings have had to rely on players they haven't had to lean on before, who have either been slow to start this season or are young and haven't been placed in certain situations before.

Emmitt Finnie is a great example as the former seventh-round pick has smashed the organization's expectations, with seven goals, second most on the team, and four assists for 11 points in 18 games. He is now on the top line with standout wingers Alex DeBrincat and Viktor Arvidsson and the trio is having a solid year together, but the other lines have been less helpful.

Rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygård has filled into the second line quite well in a solid first NHL season, with three goals and seven assists for ten points in 18 games. His linemate Lucas Raymond has also been stellar, with six goals and ten assists for 16 points in 18 games. 

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Their center, Andrew Copp, doesn't look like the same player who was on track for a career year last season, when he finished with 43 points in 79 games. He has just six points in 18 games this season and may not be close to reaching that mark again.

The rest of the offense hasn't helped much as the bottom six has contributed just five of Detroit's 47 goals this season, while depth defensemen like William Wallinder and Anton Johansson have combined for four goals themselves. 

It has been a very quiet start for several middle-six players who are being relied upon for timely scoring. J.T. Compher, who has missed some time but has been decent with a pair of goals and four assists for six points in 11 games. Carter Mazur is looking to firmly grasp a main roster spot but hasn't provided much scoring, and the same can be said for Michael Rasmussen, Keegan Kolesar and AHL forward Sheldon Dries.

Detroit expects help soon, with Marco Kasper expected back in the near future. The biggest concern, though, is that the players who are struggling don't have especially high ceilings, and we likely shouldn't expect them to produce much more, as players like Mazur and Kolesar bring their value in other areas like grit and physicality. 

The Red Wings need to find a better balance, and it begins with the top-nine forward group, where the losses of Larkin and Edvinsson have left significant holes the current roster will not soon fill.

Detroit rides a three-game losing streak, and there is a real possibility it grows longer, with the roster's makeup showing little sign of improvement on the offensive end.

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