On the Wings

Be sure to read IwoCPO’s scathing report on the Wings’ 6-2 loss to Nashville last night.

I only caught clips of the game, but saw more than I needed to see. So, a few comments:

It was monumentally stupid to start Dominik Hasek against one of the worst teams in the league and then start a rookie goaltender against one of the best, especially using the lame excuse “We wanted to end the losing streak!” Okay, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if MacDonald’s teammates hadn’t abandoned him to get shellacked, knowing that he would get no relief in any case.

Iwo thinks Datsyuk’s on the trading block. It’s hard to argue with that, given how uninspiring he’s been this season. Yeah, he breaks out some moves every once and a while, but he rarely finishes. Would the Wings be able to get anything decent in return, though? Everyone in the league knows the same things about Pavel we know: he doesn’t show up for the playoffs, he needs set-piece-cannon linemates to pass the puck to, he’s rendered useless in tight defense if not motivated, doesn’t play hurt, and so on. Pavel’s star is certainly falling in Detroit and has to be around the league as well.

I’ve always liked Pavel, but this was the year he was supposed to step up and take a real leadership role and he hasn’t. It’s extremely disappointing. I keep waiting for him to break out again, but it doesn’t happen.

Sending down a young gun and bringing up Norton or Bootland may be a short-term solution but it’s something that’s doable. The roster needs a shake up and it needs some of the so-called leaders to stand up and take charge.

Anyway, no one is asking for another nine-game winning streak. But 6-2 losses to rivals, that extend losing streaks to five games, are not acceptable.