Detroit Red Wings shut down through the holidays due to COVID-19

The Detroit Red Wings have been unable to avoid the COVID-19 outbreak that has decimated rosters around the National Hockey League (NHL). The latest news is that the Red Wings season will be paused until after the holidays.

The Detroit Red Wings will not pick back up until the 26th; with a game on December 27th, they will not suit up for at least a week. However, as the team remains off the ice, the league and the NHLPA have to decide when the team will re-open practice facilities.

On Saturday, the team had to place their head coach, assistant coach, and three players on the COVID-19 protocol list joining the two forwards they put there earlier last week. The Red Wings had Sam Gagner, Pius Suter, and Joe Veleno added to the protocols on Sunday.

According to the article linked above, they also had to place more staff members into the protocol. It’s an unfortunate scene for the Red Wings as no team wants to get shut down. The one thing that is working in the Red Wings’ favor is that they will still get to make up these games later on in the season.

Detroit Red Wings season has been paused through the holidays.

It’s become an issue all across the NHL as several teams have had postponements and been shut down through the holidays. While the Red Wings may not be alone, they will have to bounce back strong when they return to the ice.

As it stands, the Red Wings have been pushing for a big month of December to keep them in the hunt for the postseason. Instead, they are going to have to find success in January when they return to the ice.

Finishing out the year will be strong, but the team will have to get out there to break into the new year looking to keep putting up points and collecting some wins. No one wants to get shut down, but this break will allow time to ensure these players can get healthy.

The Red Wings are 15-13-3, with 31 games played as it stands. They are fourth in the Atlantic Division, looking to fight for a wildcard position. It’s not going to be an easy road ahead of them, but the organization is not counting out a postseason appearance.

However, the Red Wings being shut down for over a week is not going to cause their playoff hopes to go out the window. Time will tell for the Red Wings, but it will be an excellent chance for them to reset and get a chance to get all of their players healthy.