Now, months later, I’m revising that prediction. Yes, it’s been a good season. Heck, some could argue even a great one. But my hopes for MSU hockey to win the national championship have slimmed down drastically.  

This might sound odd, considering MSU is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 22-5-3 record. But there is something amiss from this team that could separate them from the best. 

That something is senior forward Red Savage, ruled out for the season on Jan. 28 with an upper-body injury.

Next man up, right? Yes — but also no. You see, Savage wasn’t just some average hockey player who skated around like everyone else. He was a senior captain who brought leadership and competitiveness to this team. 

Now, this glue-guy is no longer side by side with his team to finish the fight.  

"He finds ways to lift guys up," head coach Adam Nightingale said on Jan. 28 after Savage was pronounced out for the season. "Whether it’s from the stands, watching on TV when we’re on the road, or just being present. Leadership doesn’t stop when you’re injured."

Nightingale is right – about some of this. Leadership doesn’t stop when a captain is injured. The captain will continue to lead and coach their teammates from afar.

One way Savage can accomplish this is by simply showing support whenever he can, whether that be at practice, in the locker room, or even in an informal setting with his teammates. His new goal should be keeping team morale high, through good and bad, and I believe he can do it.

When a captain like Savage goes down, on-ice leadership diminishes. The Spartans no longer have their top man on the ice to control the game, bringing an end to their authentic on-ice leadership.

Let’s look back at Savage’s leadership to understand his impact.

First, Savage's NHL scouting reports. As a top recruit and a player on the National Team Development Program, Savage was highly regarded. Because of this, scouts were able to witness his mentality, coining his mindset as far beyond his years and expressing his energetic persistence. 

Later, because of reports like so, Savage was drafted in the fourth round to the Detroit Red Wings.

There’s also the respect and high praise that he has continuously received since his arrival to East Lansing, especially from Nightingale. Even before Savage arrived, Nightingale had high expectations for his leadership.

"That’s one of the biggest reasons we wanted him," Nightingale said. "He definitely has those leadership qualities, and that will be important with a young group this year."

That says a lot coming from a head coach. And this wasn’t fluff either, because a year later, Savage was named captain. 

So we have reports of Savage being a leader, but what about tangible examples like this authentic on ice leadership? Well, to experience this, we must catch a glimpse of what Savage contributed to the Notre Dame series earlier in the year. 

Struggling through a sluggish first period tied 1-1, MSU needed a spark. With the presence of Savage, they got one. On a shorthanded opportunity, Savage capitalized on an Irish turnover, giving MSU the 2-1 lead. This charge helped fuel the Spartans, as MSU would go on to squash Notre Dame 8-3. The following game, Savage played a key defensive role in the Spartans 4-3 victory. 

To finish his 20 game season, Savage scored five goals with nine assists and accounted for seven blocks.

In essence, Savage was the captain who ignited every MSU player with an inextinguishable fire.

Sure, there’s still players like Matt Basgall, Tiernan Shoudy and Karsen Dorwart that can attempt to hold down the fort. They are alternate captains after all. But "alternate" is the key word. There’s a reason Savage is the captain. To me, there’s a difference. 

It’s like when Detroit Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome season-ending lower-body injury against the Dallas Cowboys. The team lost one of their six captains, and what ensued was the crumble of what once was a top NFL defense. Sure, there were more captains to go around, but this is evidence that even losing one can spell the end. 

You want to have hope, but when Hutchinson went down, the Super Bowl chances vanished. The same could happen for Savage and the Spartans.

Some might argue a captain isn’t essential to winning in hockey. I disagree, especially when a captain has been established to begin the season. 

Let’s look at the Colorado Avalanche for example. To begin the 2022 season, the Avalanche were defending Stanley Cup champions and projected to win again. Then, in a disastrous turn of events, captain Gabriel Landeskog went down with a brutal knee injury that has kept him sidelined since. Instead of building a dynasty, the Avalanche have been good — but not great — since.

In summary, Savage is a player that you can’t replace.

So when I first heard the news of Savage’s injury, I wanted to stay positive. I wanted to believe my prediction wasn’t faulty. I wanted to think that one man couldn’t change the trajectory of such an amazing and successful season. But deep down I knew this team might be in trouble, and in trouble they now are. 

This realization came to me after MSU’s 2-1 loss to No. 12 Michigan on Feb. 7. It was the moment my hope for a national championship was drained, and the moment where I texted my editor that a story like this needed to be done. 

What I saw against the Wolverines in that 2-1 loss was something that I hadn’t seen in MSU all year. At times, the Spartans seemed emotionally in it, and at other times they seemed emotionally out of it. With this emotional seesaw also came clear inconsistencies on both sides of the puck, like a lackadaisical offense which accounted for 33 penalty minutes and a not so aggressive defense. These same features were also displayed in MSU’s loss to No. 8 Ohio State the week prior.

It’s apparent that they’re missing a key, and I believe that key to be Savage. 

Sure, both times that they suffered a loss they’ve been able to administer a dominant rebound, but come tournament play, you don’t get a rebound to work with. It’s one and done, and if MSU continues these inconsistencies, then it might just be an early exit for the green and white. 

This season, MSU is 5-4-3 without Savage, and now without him indefinitely, the wheels on the wagon are beginning to fall off, and the Spartans have now lost three out of their last six. It’s simple: to beat the great, you must beat the good first, and without Savage, MSU can’t seem to do that right now.  

By no means is this a bad team. They’re ranked at the top for a reason, and I've watched enough of them to grasp the wonders they’ve instilled in the rink.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope in April, Nightingale and the Spartans hoist the national championship trophy while my colleagues laugh at me for writing this column. But I fear that will not happen.  

With the NCAA tournament only a month away, the Spartans still have time to figure out their inconsistencies without their leader, but they need to do it fast. If MSU wants to prove me wrong, the final stretch of its season must be defined by grit, accountability and a winning attitude. Otherwise, if things don’t change, expect an unfortunate repeat of last year's tournament result.