The Detroit Red Wings have been thoroughly embarrassed in several of their games in the last two months, including having surrendered 10+ goals twice (most recently Sunday’s 11-2 laugher against the Pittsburgh Penguins) along with allowing nine against the NHL-worst Arizona Coyotes sandwiched in there as well.
The Red Wings have now had games this season where they've given up 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 goals against
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) March 27, 2022
The wheels have completely fallen off after the squad gave their fans hope of potentially contending for a Wild Card playoff spot during the first three months of the season. And unsurprisingly, there have been increased calls for the job of maligned head coach Jeff Blashill from fans and pundits alike. Though GM Steve Yzerman stated that he won’t be addressing Detroit’s coaching situation right now, his hand may ultimately be forced.
In the meantime, Blashill himself stated that he’s not going to spend time worrying about his job security.
“In this business, you never know your future,” Blashill said on Wednesday. “That never changes at any point. I’ve always said, your contract status just gives you financial security. The reality is, we’re in the highest level of sports so certainly you understand you have to get the job done.”
Blashill is currently in his 7th season behind the bench after taking over for Mike Babcock in 2015. He’s only led the team to the playoffs on one occasion, and this season will mark six straight years on the outside looking in. Yzerman himself stated last year that it wouldn’t be fair to judge Blashill’s performance due to the lack of talent on the roster.
“I’ve been at this seven years and I’ve gone through lots of ups and downs,” Blashill said. “What you learn over time is to focus on what you can control, and that’s trying to get our ship back in a better direction. So while I understand the questions on that, it’s not at all what my focus is. And honestly, the work and effort that it takes to get this thing back on track is so immense that you can’t waste time on things that are really out of your control.”
– – Quotes via Audacy Link – –
