Detroit Red Wings: It is time to move on from head coach Jeff Blashill

The Detroit Red Wings got off a solid start this season, but they have fallen off the wagon as they headed into the last third of the season.

On January 18, the Detroit Red Wings were five points out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference standings. Even though most people knew they wouldn’t make the playoffs, just being in striking range was significant progress for the organization.

Since January 18, the Red Wings have lost 18 out of the last 26 games, 15 of those losses coming in regulation. Over the previous 26 games, they have allowed five or more goals 13 times. In their latest loss, Pittsburgh found the back of the net 11 times, leaving many fans asking, when is enough going to be enough.

The Detroit Red Wings need to move on from Jeff Blashill.

Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill has been behind the bench in Detroit since 2015. He has led the Red Wings to one playoff appearance in his time at the helm. Despite that being bad, that isn’t entirely his fault.

But the Red Wings are going to have six consecutive losing seasons under Blashill, which means it is time to move on.

Throughout this season, even in the good stretches, this team starts out slow, then finishes strong. Or they do the complete opposite, start out strong and blow a game in the third period.

The team has lacked effort or will throughout games this season, so it begs the question, is Blashill’s message getting through to the players?

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman surprisingly extended Jeff Blashill’s contract last offseason, but with the glimpses of what this team could be, along with the expectation of the younger players getting better, a new voice to lead the room could be the answer.

A new voice means a new head coach, which could be what moves the Red Wings closer to getting back into the playoffs. It seems like Yzerman will keep him on a lengthy leash before cutting him loose, but that new voice in the locker room might be enticing enough for him to make the move.

But at the end of the day, an 11-2 loss is the type of game that leads to a coach getting fired; however, the Red Wings are not exactly in the postseason run position, so they are still working on getting back in competitive mode.

It sure seems like now is the time for the Red Wings to move on from head coach Jeff Blashill.