Detroit Red Wings: Light at the end of the tunnel in 2020-21 season plans
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings found the light at the end of the tunnel for the 2020-21 season.
After nine months off the ice as a collective unit, the Detroit Red Wings should be able to assemble as a team soon, with games in the near future to look forward to. It has been reported that the NHL and NHLPA have struck a deal on the 2020-21 season.
Finally, a date to look forward to for Red Wings fans. On January 13th, the league will kick off a 56-game season after a deal was struck and confirmed by deputy director Bill Daly. This is monumental as the two sides have been quarreling for some time over financial issues and health and safety issues.
A day that Red Wings fans have been waiting for might be on the horizon; this agreement would allow training camps for non-bubble teams from the 2019-20 season to open on December 31st, 2020. The bubble teams have to wait until January 3rd, 2021, giving them ten days to prepare.
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Full details of this agreement need to be ratified, which is expected by the beginning of the upcoming week.
This also means the Red Wings will likely be facing off against divisional opponents only with their 56-game schedule.
With a few more details being ironed out last minute, it is unclear if the Red Wings will be thrown into a hub city or if they will be playing games at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.
Looking at this agreement, there is seemingly some light at the end of the tunnel for the Red Wings.
Detroit Red Wings fans should be excited to see their team back on the ice.
The 2020-21 season will call for some quick turnaround for this Red Wings team, who was the worst team in the league last season. While this may seem easy, it is not. After nine months of not skating as a collective unit, the team will have about two weeks to get things right.
They will not get to play any exhibition games, which might play a role in a slow start for the organization. Any of the non-bubble teams may get off to a rough start in this upcoming season after not playing a game in so long.
It might turn into quite the task for Coach Jeff Blashill who will have about two weeks to get this team into a spot where they can compete and manage to show improvement from the horrifying 2019-20 performance.
This may not be asking much in terms of improvement, but it will be a bit of adversity to battle through a nine-month break as a team and work in new additions from this offseason, all while fighting the clock as the January 13th, 2021 start date inches closer. Not to mention keeping everyone safe and healthy amid COVID-19 protocols.
With prospects and some starters like Filip Hronek overseas, they will need to start making their way back to Hockeytown if they have not done so already. It will be a good jumpstart for the players who have been playing in leagues overseas, but things need to click for this team when they get back on the ice together again.
It will be an uphill battle, as it would have been in a normal 82-game season starting in October with this roster construction, but improvements should be shown.
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For all those Detroit Red Wings fans itching for a game to be played, it appears the wait is almost over.