What's Taco Bell look like sober?
Right?! I can't be the only one that exclusively eats it after the bars close. And in those moments, it's a donkey ride to heaven.
Anyway, yeah! The Wings aren't a bad team. Like, at all. They are in good shape. They lack consistently elite talent at center and defense, but when you put together the healthy roster, it's the kind of team that others HATE seeing in the playoffs. The Wings are that team. The team you
really don't want in round 1 of the playoffs.
The problem is the Wings need a few key things to go their way in order for them to be considered a contender. And before somebody says, "Well every champion needs luck" I'll go ahead and rebuttal now - some teams more than others. The Hawks didn't need as much luck as the Wings will need.
Health is a huge one. Unlike some of the other contending teams, the Wings rely on two veterans with stacking injury concerns. Datsyuk and Zetterberg. When they feel good, I love them pound for pound with almost anybody. But the days when we see the both of them 100% in the playoffs seem like a distant memory.
The second big question mark is going to be goaltending. Can Petr Mrazek step up and be the man? We'll see. He pushed Tampa pretty hard. And encouraging start. Or will Howard rebound? Maybe.
The final big question is will Mike Green thrive in Detroit. If Green becomes the premier offensive defender we saw in past years, the Wings have added a weapon of considerable significance. The Wings blueline inability to move the puck and generate offense has been holding them back for years, and if Green can help alleviate that issue, this team is poised to break through in those close games.
Oh, and Nyquist and Tatar need to stack up against top lines and score, too.
This doesn't feel like the year to me. But when the playoffs come, will I count them out? Hell no.
