Red Wings fans need to be patient during offseason

Trade Pavel Datsyuk. Trade Henrik Zetterberg. Do whatever it takes to bring quality defenseman to the Detroit Red Wings.

If Red Wings fans were in charge of the team, these are the types of moves we could expect to see before training camp begins. Fortunately for Hockeytown, Ken Holland is general manager and not the fans.

Detroit may be called Hockeytown, but some of the hockey fans in Detroit have a lot to learn.

In an article recently posted on MLive.com, readers sounded off and expressed their solutions to Detroit’s lackluster blue line heading into this season. Suggestions ranged from the wild to the wildly absurd.

“Make a trade,” wrote reader killbuttman. “A Fil package for Yandle or Jaybo is not enough. We are 5-6 players from being a true contender. A wise GM would realize this and just throw in the towel on the Pav-Zee window. It’s over. It’s finished. This UFA class was our last chance to provide this core before the window shuts. So trade Zee now.”

Good thing Detroit doesn’t have a wise general manager…

After missing out on Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, and to a lesser extend Matt Carle, Detroit Red Wings fans are starting to settle into a panic when they see the lineup that will likely hit the ice for training camp in September. Namely, they don’t like what they see on the blue line.

After witnessing a summer in which Nicklas Lidstrom retired and Brad Stuart was traded to San Jose to be closer to his family, the only significant move the team has done thus far to solidify the blue line and help replace two top-four defenseman is sign Kyle Quincey, who the team traded for at the trade deadline last season, to a two-year contract. While Quincey has the potential to eat minutes, he is a far cry from the finesse Lidstrom provided or the abrasiveness Stuart possessed.

So what’s the answer? If you ask fans, it’s time to end the Datsyuk and/or Zetterberg era and trade them for defensive help.

Here’s the problem with that. Datsyuk and Zetterberg have finished in some combination of one-two as the team leading scorers in four of the past five years. The only year they didn’t finish one-two was in 2010-11 when Datsyuk finished third in scoring after only playing in 59 games. Trading one of those two players will result in a severe loss of point production and provide the Red Wings with another problem instead of a solution.

“D-Fense first,” wrote NDonajuana. “Go for either yandle or bogosain or both! Trade for them cause we need defense and they are both young. I better defense will get you farther in the playoffs then a better offense. We have young forwards, time to give them a chance to grow and play. We don’t have any young defenders in our system other than smith. TRADE FOR DEFENSE (not boyle he is old and only has 3 good years of hockey left).”

Okay, sure, offense gets the glory but defense wins the game. The Los Angeles Kings just proved the above statement by winning the Stanley Cup this season. The Kings led all playoff teams with a 1.5 goals against average per game while they scored on average 2.85 goals per game. Not the best goals per game average of all playoff teams, but better than most.

The truth is that you need both offense and defense to go a long way in the playoffs. Plus, you need it from your forwards just as much as your defenseman. Los Angeles’s top two players during the playoffs in plus-minus were both forwards. And do you know who is usually at the top of the plus-minus category for the Red Wings? That’s right, Datsyuk and Zetterberg – the two players fans are calling for to be traded.

It’s not that the Red Wings are no longer a destination of choice. The issue is that more teams have money to spend than before the salary cap era, plus the Wings dealt with extenuating circumstances this year. Zach Parise wanted to play at home in Minnesota. Ryan Suter wanted to play with his friend Zach Parise. The Wings were never offered the opportunity to talk to Shea Weber about an offer sheet, nor would it have made a difference since Nashville matched.

The other issue that the Red Wings are running into revolves around need. Detroit needs two top-four defenseman. Unfortunately, the rest of the teams around the league know Detroit needs defenseman, meaning they can up the asking price for players knowing Detroit may get desperate enough to pay.

There are two possible solutions. The first does involve trading players, but it involves players like Johan Franzen, Justin Abdelkader, Dan Cleary, Darren Helm, and, to a lesser extent, Valtteri Filppula. Any of these players, or a combination of these players, could be enough to entice teams but still maintain your top scorers. Plus, these players could be more easily replaced by youngsters like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar or Landon Ferraro than a Datsyuk or a Zetterberg could be.

The other option? Wait. The Red Wings’ defense is an unknown right now. Much of the success of the blue line hinges on the play of Kyle Quincey and how fast Brendan Smith comes along. Plus, don’t forget about Jonathan Ericsson, a defenseman the Red Wings have been high on for some time who will finally get a chance to show what he is capable of in a more prominent, full time role. If the Wings do decide that they need a defensive upgrade, they could likely see what’s available at the trade deadline and make a move then. Or the Wings could hold off until a new CBA is signed to see how that will effect the salary cap. If cap casualties occur before the new CBA is implemented, the Red Wings will definitely be first in line to make moves quickly.

Rumor has it that the Red Wings are currently pursuing options on defense, and some of those options include Yandle from Phoenix and maybe even Gonchar from Ottawa, whose puck-presence and experience would help offset the loss of Lidstrom. Regardless, the Wings may opt to hold off until training camp at least to see where they stand and what their most pressing needs are. If that’s the case, Red Wings fans, strap in and prepare to exhibit some patience.