More response to the Bertuzzi signing and to the larger questions on the upcoming season, from a reply I sent to an email list I’ve been on for years, below. Background: the guy I’m replying to responded to the signing with a very negative view of the Wings’ chances this year, and predicted a losing record against the Central:

… This hasn’t been a great off-season, but the resultant team isn’t drastically different from the one that won the Cup. It’s like complaining when your profits fall from $8 million to $6 million or something. You’re still making a killing most people would die to have. It’ll be a fight, with the Central’s improvement, but the Wings are still very dangerous and will still be very good. None of that losing to the Central more often than not BS for me. They still have Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Franzen, etc. There’s also the simple fact that this team will have something to prove, similar to how they did after 2007.

Am I less confident than last year? Sure, but that’s because I was overconfident last year. Look where that got us. Look where those 80 goals we lost this off-season got us. I for one find myself warming to the idea of a team that has more reason to pay attention to detail at both ends than last year’s on-paper powerhouse did. I look forward to a team that can no longer arrogantly count on being able to score more goals than its opponents and use that as an excuse to forgo defensive responsibility. If having less offensive firepower means the forwards focus on syncing with the defense as they did in 2007-2008, I’m happy.

All that said, the Bertuzzi signing does not impress me at all. It’s not about the Moore incident, to be honest. It’s about his increasing physical fragility and continued decline. The guy is no longer the fearless beast he was before he nearly killed Moore and he will never return to that form. He’s tentative and not physical, and is marked for penalties by officials who are driven by his reputation, even when his lack of speed isn’t causing him to hook and grab for real. The best the Wings can hope for is 60 games and 10-15 goals in the regular season and maybe 6 points in the playoffs. I hope one of the kids makes his presence on the roster more superfluous than it already seems, and that he rarely gets in the lineup.

So, in summary, I’m not a fan of the last two signings, but I’m confident in the team going forward.

The second paragraph above is one I want to emphasize. If this year’s team can return to the work ethic and sacrificial attitude of the Cup winning squad, they’ll be in great position to face down their coming challenges. Lackluster off-season or not, they remain the Detroit Red Wings and that still means the Class of the League. This could be one instance where steps that seem backward initially could become steps forward in the end.

Holland and the front office crew obviously feel Williams and Bertuzzi can contribute to that. I disagree, but I’m not in their position. Even if they turn out to be wrong, the team still has enough in it to succeed if each member is willing to sacrifice as they did in ’07-’08. I’m going to watch and look forward to the outcome.