The Detroit Red Wings didn’t acquire any offense at the 2008 NHL trade deadline, which is bizarre because this team really stinks at scoring … no offense.
Look, grabbing big-bodied defenseman Brad Stuart (B-Stu — let’s get that nickname going) from the Los Angeles Kings was a solid move. Everyone on the blue line has been going down with injuries lately. So adding defensive depth was appropriate, but it shouldn’t have been the only trigger pulled.
To win games, we’re going to have to score more goals than the other team. It’s true — I believe it’s been that way since the game returned from the lockout, one of those wacky rule changes. So why didn’t we make an upgrade to help Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg? You know what they say, “There’s no Euro twins in T-E-A-M.” It’s too much of a burden to expect them to score all the goals.
Some will say, “Don’t worry, the best offense is a good defense.” While others will shout back, “The best defense is a good offense.” It’s a discussion that’s about as relevant as arguing the differences between Republicans and Democrats when everyone knows there isn’t any (don’t act like you didn’t know).
In reality, the best offense is a good offense and the best defense is a good defense. It’s not rocket science. A team needs to be balanced. The Red Wings aren’t right now. That should leave everyone on the fence before handing them the Stanley Cup.
Matthew Benjamin
social relations and policy senior
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