On April 21st, the Detroit Red Wings were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. The defeat didn’t just end their 2015-2016 season, it also marked the end of an era for the franchise.
It’s been rumored that Pavel Datsyuk’s days as a Detroit Red Wing have come to an end. Reports indicate he has expressed interest in returning to his home country of Russia. The ‘magic man’ played all of his 953 NHL games with the Red Wings and has been a fixture for the franchise since the early 2000’s. His recent comments all but guarantee retirement.
“I may not be done with hockey, but it is hard to say, I think I am done playing in NHL.”
If Datsyuk does depart from the Wings, his $7.5 million dollar cap hit stays on the books which will surely limit the flexibility the Wings will have when seeking reinforcements via free agency and when exploring the trade market. They could trade Datsyuk’s contract to a team trying to reach the cap minimum, but that remains to be seen.
“Looking back, I wish had done a year-by-year contract, not a three-year contract.” Datsyuk told the Detroit Free Press. ” I stayed ( last season) in respect of the Ilitch family. I don’t want to leave ( the) team in disaster. But if have to do over again, i would sign a different deal. I didn’t realize at the time.”
TAMPA, FL – APRIL 21: Pavel Datsyuk #13 of the Detroit Red Wings during a stop in play against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on April 21, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Soon, Wings fans will be bidding adieu to another icon – Joe Louis Arena. Next season marks the final year of the arena that houses octopus swinging and significant history hanging from it’s rafters.
For better or worse, it’s time for a new era in Detroit.
The turnover from being a hockey powerhouse to transitioning into a team with a younger core can be a grueling process. While the Wings have had success at the NHL level, they’ve also had success maintaining their pipeline of young talent with their AHL affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The Wings next wave of talent features the likes of Dylan Larkin, Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Danny Dekeyser and it seems they are ready to take over the reigns as the team’s leaders. Not to mention the likes of Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha getting tastes of NHL action as well.
Who knows if a few of those players could amount to become the next Yzerman, Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Lidstrom. It’s too early to tell how some of these skaters will pan out. Who knows if one of their jerseys will hang from the rafters of the Detroit Events Center in the future. They’ve got a long way to go.
If the Wings want to continue to find ways to win in today’s NHL, they need to retool and continue to build, not just draft and develop. Losing Datsyuk is a big blow and replacing him in the top six might require a trade or dipping into the free agent pool. The Wings won’t have much spending money for the big time free agents, so the trade market may be a more suitable option. The real need for this team is an established top two pairing defenseman.
The Wings don’t need to rebuild and blow everything up. They’ve got the pieces to continue to trend upward while not taking too big of a step back. They’ve got talent coming up and a potential future superstar in Larkin. The real test for Wings general manager Ken Holland will be to acquire players that can help accelerate the development of their young forwards.
It’s the start of a new era in Detroit and it should be fascinating to watch.
