We are all bleeding Red and White watching the slow decline of our Red Wings, and engaging in the talk about what (or who) is wrong with the Wings or critiquing this years draft...
Maybe I missed it, but what I don't hear talked about enough is decline of good shooters fighting to get into good shooting position and Shooting the DAMN PUCK! Look at the list of players who come in with "The Nack" and natural Sniper skills to get into the slot between the circles and shoot the puck and by year two or three chose now to pass the puck instead putting it on net. Especially on the Power Play. I don't know the answer, but for as long as I have played youth and amateur hockey (25 years) and watched the game (over 50 years) the Wings are making way too many passes from inside high percentage shooting spots to poor percentage spots. Good natural shooters like Nyquist, Larkin, Helm and even Sheehan have had down years after lighting the lamp with success in previous years. I have been watching for it and it keeps repeating itself. Driving me crazy! It will be interesting to see Mantha and AA perform next year to see if the pattern continues with sophomore and junior year scoring slumps. We'll see, certainly the Griffins team doesn't seem to have an issue...? I can't help but wonder if it's coaching? Or at least the staff isn't doing enough to set the expectations clearly enough.
There, I feel better :-)
