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With Zetterberg gone, time to turn the page |
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Those horror shows sure do love them some sequels, so perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise.
Coming to a Little Caesar’s Arena near you: Dead Wings II.
Two seasons removed from their most recent playoff appearance, and with six years gone since their last taste of postseason success, the Detroit Red Wings have sought to sell a bill of goods to their fan base that they’re not all that far off from tasting the promised land of playoff hockey once more.
“I think we played better than the outcome of our games,” Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson was saying just the other day. “I think we played way better than the year before, but we found ways to lose games last year. A lot of times we were up and couldn’t keep the lead. We’re going to have to find answers why it happened.”
Wait. There’s more.
“I think everyone is feeling revenge almost from the last season,” Ericsson continued. “We want to show we’re a good hockey team. We’re aiming for the playoffs. That’s the mentality we have and we know we’re going to be better this year.”
Then Friday happened and the reality clock struck midnight for this team.
Captain Henrik Zetterberg confirmed that he was done in the NHL as a player, finally surrendering to the back woes that have plagued him since 2014.
“I’ve kind of been living this for a while,” Zetterberg explained to Mlive.com. “Starting in January last year, I knew something was not quite right.
“I found a way to play through that season but kind of mid-summer here when we hoped it was going to get a little bit better and it kind of wasn’t. I went to see Dr. (Frank) Camissa (who performed Zetterberg’s 2014 back surgery) last week and got the final result and nothing really had changed, so that’s kind of when it kicked in.
“Obviously, it is emotional. It’s been 15 years here. Even though I knew I was on my last couple years, I wish that I could have played a little bit longer.”
Now that it’s certain that he won’t, it’s time for the Wings to give up the ghost and get serious about the rebuild. Zetterberg was the last real tie to the glory days in terms of superstar talent. His departure officially concludes that era. It’s time to hand the keys of the future to the kids and see what happens, knowing full well that the early returns are likely to be unpleasant.
Let Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou drive the bus. Bring Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen, Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski on board to see if they will sink or swim.
The attempts to stop gap with journeymen veterans must end. It hasn’t worked, and no one is buying that it ever will.
On Friday, Zetterberg accepted the inevitable.
It’s time for the Wings to do the same.
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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