The writing was on the wall for Detroit Red Wings’ forward Evgeny Svechnikov. A healthy scratch on Tuesday led to another on Thursday which led to a return to Grand Rapids Friday.
This certainly is befuddling on a number of levels. It’s been debated more than enough on Octopus Thrower as well as throughout Red Wings Twitter, Reddit, podcasts, etc. But really–what’s the point here?
Will he be trade bait? Are they auditioning veterans to flip at the deadline before bringing up the younger kids from Grand Rapids? Is it all really about giving them more ice time?
Does Jeff Blashill have a vendetta against anyone not a grinder?
Regardless of what the real answer is, the Svechnikov shuffle is certainly something that doesn’t add up in the end. It’s bizarre that after a point-per-game in the bigs, he’s sent back while guys like Darren Helm are showing just how long in the tooth they are now. How is Helm, who’s value pretty much is on the PK, still getting regular minutes while Svech is shuttled back?
As with everything, don’t expect to get any concrete answers until there’s movement (i.e. trades) of some kind.
Red Wings Were .500 This Week
While trade rumors are cooling a bit before they’ll certainly ratchet up closer to the deadline in less than a month, Luke Glendening scoring goals only helps matters. After a stunning 6-4 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday, the stock of the faceoff wizard (stop me if you haven’t heard that yet) continues to possibly parlay itself into a higher pick or prospect. Also of note: when Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha are on, the rest of the team follows.
Now comes a new week and the Hurricanes and Stars round out the final four games of the home stand. Carolina is first, and in first place to boot in the Central Division. It’s been a mixed bag against the Hurricanes and we’ll see how the Wings do against them.
One other note: Since going 0 for 40 on the power play, the Red Wings have scored a power play goal in every game since. It will be interesting to see if it continues.
Face off is at 5:00 pm EST.