MANALAPAN, Fla. -- Steve Yzerman paused for a moment.
“I’m just trying to choose my words carefully,” the Detroit Red Wings general manager said at the NHL GM meetings Tuesday.
The Red Wings have been outscored 43-19 during a 1-8-0 stretch entering their home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, BSOH).
As recently as Feb. 29, they had an eight-point cushion in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now they’re one point behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
What’s gone wrong?
“Kind of a collection of all aspects of our game,” Yzerman said. “Our goaltending save percentage is down. Defensively, I would say we’re giving up a lot of chances, which contributes to the goaltending save percentage being down.”
Injuries have been an issue. Dylan Larkin, the captain and No. 1 center, has missed the past seven games because of a lower-body injury. Ville Husso, who started the season as the No. 1 goalie, has played only part of one of the past 37 games, also because of a lower-body injury. Yzerman said he didn’t have an update on either.
“With Dylan being out, it pushes everybody up a little bit (in the lineup), and we just don’t quite have that depth up front to not be affected or minimize the effect of having a player who plays significant minutes for us out,” Yzerman said. “We’re just not quite deep enough yet for that.
“But we’ve still got to find a way. Over the last nine games now, we’ve won one. I think for what our expectation is of our team, I think we’ve still got to win a few of those games. Even without Husso, even without Larkin, my expectation would be to win some of those games, and we haven’t been able to do that.”
Now defenseman Jake Walman (lower body) is out, and the Red Wings have recalled defenseman Simon Edvinsson, the No. 6 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. Yzerman said he doesn’t think Walman’s injury will be long term.
“Probably a little more than day to day, but nothing significant,” he said.
Asked if Edvinsson is coming up because of the Walman injury or because he can help down the stretch, Yzerman said: “It’s both. But he’s going to play. I wouldn’t waste a recall just to have a body, because we still have Justin Holl, who hasn’t been in the lineup recently. We expect him to play, and we expect him to contribute.”
The 21-year-old has three points (two goals, one assist) in 11 NHL games, including an assist in two games for Detroit this season. He has 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 52 games for Grand Rapids this season, playing big minutes in all situations.
“His game is just maturing and evolving, like you hope for all your young players down there,” Yzerman said. “We’ve very pleased with how his play has progressed throughout the season.”
The Red Wings made one minor move before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8, sending forward Klim Kostin to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Radim Simek and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
At the time, they had lost three in a row, but they held the first wild card in the East.
Had the slump come earlier, would that have changed their approach at the deadline?
“Potentially,” Yzerman said. “I can’t answer that today. If it had happened, I would have had a different decision to make at the deadline. We’re sitting in a playoff spot or fighting for a playoff spot.
“The decision at that point was, ‘I think this team has a chance to make the playoffs,’ not, ‘Hey, we’re definitely going to make it.’ So, you could stand pat, you could buy or you could sell. I chose to relatively stand pat.”
The Red Wings still have a chance, but it’s going to be a challenge. On Thursday, they host the New York Islanders, who are one point behind. After that, they hit the road for five games against teams in playoff spots. One is against the Capitals on Tuesday.
“Again, without Husso, without Larkin playing, now without Jake Walman, I still think my expectation is to win some of these games,” Yzerman said. “… How we’re going to win is with solid goaltending, solid defense and timely special teams. That’s how we’re going to win. You look at all those different areas. We’re kind of losing the special teams battle on a regular basis, and we’re just giving up too much.”
To Yzerman, the Red Wings are essentially in the playoffs already.
“Every game is crucial,” he said. “You lose, you feel bad, you’ve got to get ready for the next game. You’ve just got to keep plugging away. If we win our games, we’re in good shape. This next stretch is going to be tough.”
