Are the Red Wings trying to not score this season?

We knew that things wouldn’t be all that great in Detroit this season. The days of the dynasty are behind the franchise and with the exception of the growth of youngsters such as Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha, there isn’t much that is very encouraging.

Therefore, the first chunk of the NHL season hasn’t provided many surprises in the Motor City. With their 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night, the Red Wings are now 1-6-2 and sitting dead last in the NHL standings.

Amongst the team’s issues is the inability to find the back of the net. Through their first nine games, they’ve only scored 20 goals. To put that in perspective, it only took the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs their first four games to each score 20 goals.

If there’s one sequence to summarize Detroit’s offensive struggles so far this season, it’s this.

Let’s give credit where credit is due. Former Red Wing Petr Mrazek makes a great save between the pipes for the Hurricanes on the initial shot off the stick of Frans Neilsen. Then, Carolina’s Justin Faulk makes a gutsy block in the blue paint on Andreas Athanasiou’s rebound.

That’s some impressive defensive teamwork by the Hurricanes with a one-goal advantage late in the third period. Or was it?

Maybe, just maybe, Detroit wasn’t trying to score.

Neilsen and Athanasiou are a couple of the Red Wings’ most productive forwards. They get paid quite handsomely to put the puck between the pipes; yet, neither could get the job done at a crucial moment in the game. So, is it crazy to say that maybe they didn’t want to?

In the salary cap era, becoming better is very difficult. The NHL strives for parity and as a result, it’s tough to get ahead. One of the tried-and-true methods to improve, especially if an ownership group is willing to wait for a few years, is to be bad for a while. Like, so bad that your team finishes last in the league and has the best chance of winning the draft lottery.

You see, there’s a kid by the name of Jack Hughes who has a few people excited. This 17-year-old American has been turning heads for a while and piling up points wherever he plays. Many believe he’ll go first overall in the 2019 draft. In fact, the phrase “lose to choose Hughes” has already been whispered in certain circles.

If you haven’t heard the hype surrounding Hughes, check out this recent highlight. He’s wearing number six.

You see? That’s a guy that can generate offence and put the puck in the back of the net. At the top of my head, I can think of at least one team that could use that right now.

Most of this article was written in jest, but could you really blame Detroit if they did purposefully tank this season?

I don’t know about you, but the more highlights of Hughes I watch, the more fired up I get.

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