What seemed like a formality has finally come to fruition as the Detroit Red Wings have reportedly hired former Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill to be their next head coach. It’s not official yet, and terms of the proposed deal haven’t been announced.
Wings' announcement of Jeff Blashill hiring expected next week. Story: http://t.co/BFElgvzWLD
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) June 3, 2015
It’s been an interesting offseason for Blashill. There were times when the Red Wings were seemingly going to retain the now departed Mike Babcock, which made him one of the most interesting free agent coaches out there. Since Babcock left for the Toronto Maple Leafs on a mega-contract, it would have been shocking to see anybody but Blashill be named the next coach.
He seems to be the ready for the job. As the coach of Grand Rapids, Blashill posted a 134-71-23 record, winning the Calder Cup (the AHL’s equivalent to the Stanley Cup) in 2013. He was named the AHL coach of the year in 2014. He also has a wealth of experience coaching some of the Red Wings up-and-comers, as Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tartar, Riley Sheahan, Landon Ferraro and Petr Mrazek all played significant minutes under his tutelage. That’s a great advantage.
While it’s impossible to replace Babcock, Blashill seems like a guy who can at least do an adequate job in doing so. He may be inexperienced at the NHL level (he was an assistant coach with the Wings between 2011-2012), his familiarity with the organization can’t be understated. He’s got a great group of players in Detroit. I don’t foresee the club taking a significant step back.
The Red Wings face an interesting season as they’ve got a mix of old veterans and young up-and-comers. This may be a sign they’re ready to embrace more a youth movement. While they’re not entertaining the idea of rebuilding, it’s likely this upcoming Red Wings squad won’t be the veteran heavy version of the past. Let’s see what Blashill can do.
