Red Wings: Three Things To Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

With the Detroit Red Wings hanging around the bottom of the league standings, it may not be the first quarter of the season the organization wanted, but it’s too late now. On this Thanksgiving Day, take a look at some things that Red Wings fans can be thankful for even when the team is struggling.

The Detroit Red Wings were poised to show some improvement in the 2019-20 season and be better than they were in 2018-19, this has not been the case. Sitting near the bottom of the standings, they have not precisely made any runs towards the top this season.

With goaltending being an issue, the current goaltenders have been extraordinarily shaky, and the offense cannot keep pace with the number of goals that are being scored against them. Take a look at three things that all Red Wings fans can be thankful for on this holiday. These are just three things that come to mind, that Red Wings fans should be able to appreciate even in a time where the team is struggling.

Reason #1: A developing Filip Larsson currently at the AHL level with Grand Rapids Griffins

With one of the main concerns being terrible goaltending for this Red Wings team, Filip Larsson offers fans a chance to be thankful that he will eventually be between the pipes at Little Caesars Arena. He may have a rough 2-4-0 record with a 3.71 GAA at the AHL level, but Larsson is most likely going to become a highly valued goaltender for the Red Wings in the future.

At the NCAA level, Larsson was a shutdown goaltender for the University of Denver in the past few seasons, and after some time to develop in the AHL, he should be considered as a goaltender of the future for the Red Wings.

Currently, Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier are just atrocious between the pipes in the 2019-20 season, and Larsson offers a sign of hope for fans. Larsson most likely will not see any extended time with the Red Wings this season, but he will arrive all in due time.

Fans should be thankful that the Red Wings have a goaltender in the making who can hopefully stick around for the long haul once the team becomes competitive once again. For now, it’s going to continue with Howard and Bernier giving up four-spots consistently, until Larsson is ready to make the jump to the NHL level.

Reason #2: Moritz Seider was a phenomenal pick, even at sixth overall

In June, the Red Wings selected a German defenseman with the sixth overall draft pick, which shocked plenty of people and also outraged some fans. Moritz Seider was not high on many mock draft boards, and his selection was shocking, but in all honesty, it seems to be a great pick by the organization.

Seider is no Kirby Dach or Alex Turcotte, but he has plenty of different qualities that should make him a solid defenseman for the Red Wings future. Currently, also with the AHL Griffins, Seider has received a bunch of positive reviews on his play, his personality, and team chemistry, even as an eighteen-year-old.

In twenty games played in 2019-20, Seider has one goal and ten assists for the Griffins. Red Wings fans should be thankful that Seider is wearing a Griffins uniform and one day will wear a Red Wings one. The kid carries himself with incredible maturity, it is early on, but he seems to have all the makings of a top-pairing defenseman.

Assuming everything goes well, Seider could be the defenseman of the future, the next Nicklas Lidstrom/ Niklas Kronwall of this franchise, a bold prediction based on his projected ability to be the go-to defenseman for this team.

Reason #3: GM Steve Yzerman has a method to his madness; give it time to pan out

The city erupted earlier this year when the Red Wings announced that Steve Yzerman was returning to the organization to take over as the General Manager

. Since then, he drafted Seider, which, as discussed above, had some not so pleasant reactions from the fanbase, made some trades that solicited mixed responses, and made a few signings. The fanbase is going to give Yzerman a chance to get this team back on track; it will not be as cutthroat as the Lions where one loss and fans call for Bob Quinn’s firing.

Fans should be thankful that Yzerman is back with the Red Wings organization after the success he was able to create with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. Bear with Stevie Y as he crafts this team into “his” team and brings in the players he feels will offer Coach Blashill the best combination of players to win a hockey game. Things may look bleak right now, but fans should be thankful that Yzerman is back and has started his regime to get things back on track for the organization.

Red Wings fans should take a moment, even with the current state of the team, and be thankful for the way things are headed. There is a lot to look forward to if all goes well for the Red Wings and things pan out the way they are intended to do so.

With a large crop of rookies just waiting for their shot at the NHL roster, names like Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno, and Evgeny Svechnikov should be around for the long haul and become some unique players for this organization. So on this Thanksgiving holiday, take a few moments to be thankful for the future of this Red Wings organization and what could be if all goes well.