Red Wings Season Recap: Youth Movement has Arrived

David Guralnick/Detroit News

Last Wednesday our beloved Red Wings fell in a heartbreaking overtime game seven against Original Six rival Chicago Blackhawks.  Heartbreaking because the Wings had a 3-1 series lead, but we should not be angry at the collapse.

Normally, if the Wings blew a lead like that, I'd be furious, but considering the youth of our squad, what we lost and were missing, and how young and inexperienced our squad is, that series and this postseason are going to be a great learning experience for our youths.

And seriously folks, when was the last time the Wings were "young."

No fan should be disappointed by this season.  A team plagued by injury all season, and also lost two key defensemen, including Captain Nick, not only made the postseason, against many expectations, but  eliminated the two seeded Anaheim Ducks and took the top seeded Blackhawks to game seven.

The emergence of Jimmy Howard should give every Red Wings fan faith that next year won't be as rough a regular season.  Howard proved that he can win playoff and big games.  He carried this team.  Carried them into the playoffs, the second round, and all the way to game seven against the top seed.

The offseason should be very interesting.  Ian White will be gone, and Valteri Filppula will likely follow him out the door.  Val wants $5 million contract and hasn't wavered on that stance.  He will probably get that, just not from Detroit.  Not enough production to warrant that deal.

The Red Wings will have cap space aplenty, and if a top line goal scoring hits the market, I fully expect the Wings to be bidders.

With Pavel Datsyuk announcing his desire to sign a contract extension, Wings fans should expect (hope) that the front office will go out and find him a true goal scoring winger to pair him with.  Nathan Horton is a potential name that intrigues, would be a great fit.

Damien Brunner, Drew Miller, and Daniel Cleary will, in all early indications, be brought back, Brunner being the top priority.  A right-handed shooting goal scorer is too precious a resource for the Wings to let him walk away.  And he will probably cost less than Filppula.

This season should give everyone out there confidence and hope going forward.  Joakim Anderson, Gustav Nyquist, Brendan Smith, Jakub Kindl, and Brunner are all some of the young faces that emerged this season for the Wings.  Their development is key to the Wings making it 23 straight postseason appearances next season.

Which, by the way, I will already predict that they will indeed make it 23 straight.

Don't doubt the Beard, and never bet against the Wings.