Detroit — If the Red Wings had simply finished the season around mid-February, being above the playoff cutline and having games in hand, and playing good hockey in many areas, coach Derek Lalonde would have been just fine with it.
“We’d probably be talking about me spending my coach of the year bonus already on some trip somewhere,” Lalonde said Friday in his season-ending press conference.
But, the season lasts 82 games in the NHL. And the Wings, after losing four straight games before the trade deadline, including two consecutive routs in Ottawa, saw their roster sliced, as general manager Steve Yzerman made deals, along with season-ending injuries to forwards Michael Rasmussen, Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina.
From there, the Wings finished 7-15-1 to end the season — and there will be no bonuses for Lalonde to spend.
“At that point, awesome. Our guys were playing the right way, Ville (Husso) was playing like a No. 1 goalie in the league, our special teams were clicking. It was a huge credit to the guys, probably a little bit of an overachievement for us,” Lalonde said. “Probably not a true indicator of the entire season.”
Then again, Lalonde doesn’t feel like the final six weeks of the season were accurate either, in telling where this team is.
“Probably somewhere in between,” Lalonde said, of where the Wings stand currently. “I would love to go back to that date (Feb. 24, when the Wings were above the playoff cutline) and call it a season. But, there are 82 games in a season and there’s a lot that goes into it.”
So what happened in those two routs in Ottawa on consecutive nights, that really seemed to turn the Wings’ season upside down?
“They just imposed their game on us,” Lalonde said. “More than we did our game in both situations. They got up and they were able to try and play a physical game with us, and we didn’t have much pushback at the time.
“Those were just two outliers that happened to be right before the deadline. We would have bounced back from those games. A couple bounces in either of those games might have been different also.
“Steve should have done what he did at the trade deadline. We did the right thing. It just stings at the present.”
Lalonde was actually quite impressed and pleased with the fortitude of this roster.
“I’ll give this group credit,” Lalonde said. “I was very realistic with my expectations with his team. I did not have this, and I have no problem saying that now, I didn’t see this as a playoff team (at the start of the season). Player for player, where our roster was stacked up against our division and the Eastern Conference, I didn’t feel this was a playoff team.
“It was my job to push them there, and get them there, but man, this group thought they could get there and that’s why you saw them there right before the trade deadline and that’s what surprised me as a group.”
Need an edge
Everyone knows the Wings need more offense next season, but there needs to be a bit more abrasiveness, too.
Lalonde feels that can be developed within the roster.
“It can be learned within the group,” Lalonde said. “You saw there were times we had good pushback, times we were more engaged and probably led to a better performance or success that night. But there’s times we got pushed around and it can be learned within the group.
“In today’s NHL you don’t need to go fight four times, fight after every whistle, but you need to stick up for your teammates and push back. You saw this group at times this year do that.”
Raymond’s growth
Forward Lucas Raymond slid from 23 goals his rookie season to 17 this year and saw his points go from 57 to 45. Raymond missed eight games with a lower-body injury late in the season and seemed to struggle to find offense after returning.
Raymond, 21, still struggled defensively, but it’s not like Lalonde didn’t expect some stumbling blocks in Raymond’s sophomore season.
“I wouldn’t call it regression, but there will be some bumps in the your first two years in the NHL,” Lalonde said. “The fact he’s never seen the American Hockey League, he stepped right into the NHL, people don’t know how hard that is. There’s going to be bumps in the road, even physically, it’s just part of being a young kid in this league.
“This offseason will be important for Lucas, improving in a lot of different areas. He is still so fresh and raw, and there’s still a ton of growth for his ceiling.”
Ice chips
Lalonde expects his entire coaching staff to return next season, although the staff is still scheduled to have exit interviews with Yzerman.
“I’m very happy with our staff,” Lalonde said. “My first time as a head coach, I had a specific reason for hiring every single person. We’re still growing as a staff, but they checked off a lot of boxes.”
… Young forwards Jonatan Berggren and Joe Veleno both earned valuable experience and made contributions but both need to continue to grow.
“I have no problem saying they took a dip in their game at the end of the year,” Lalonde said. “We’ve asked a lot of those guys, their roles increased more at the end of the year, and there was a dip in their production and five-on-five play. But that’s natural for young players. It’s important for them to get those types of minutes. Now it’s up to them to have an important offseason and you hope natural progression and growth in their games.”
… Lalonde felt the season-ending leg injury to Rasmussen, ironically the evening after the Wings moved into playoff position, was a huge loss for the Wings.
“That really stung this group,” Lalonde said. “He was a huge part of our team, part of our top-six (forwards), our penalty kill, the physical pushback that we talked about. He was a big part of it and we’re excited to get back a healthy Ras back next season.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan