| Young Wings doing time on the blue line March 16, 1999 BY JASON LA CANFORA Free Press Sports Writer |
|
| The Red Wings' struggles lately have made everyone search for positives. Some of the biggest developments are on the blue line, where youngsters Aaron Ward and Yan Golubovsky have stepped up. The Wings could go eight deep with Uwe Krupp and Todd Gill expected to return before the playoffs, although the reality is that Ward and Golubovsky are being shopped and could be gone by next Tuesday's trade deadline. But with several defensemen nearing the end of their careers, the Wings are always looking to add youngsters to the mix. They're pleased with what they have seen. "There's a silver lining in all of this, and it's the young kids we have playing," general manager Ken Holland said. "Mathieu Dandenault has been playing 18 to 20 minutes against the other team's top line, and he's played very well. Yan Golubovsky has been very solid back up here. Aaron Ward is getting a chance to play every game now, and he's played well." The future of the blue line is murky at best. Nick Lidstrom might return to Sweden this summer. Krupp's herniated disk is very serious, and it's difficult to assess how much it will affect the rest of his career. If either is gone, look for the Wings to make a strong bid to re-sign Gill. If everyone returns, and Ward and Golubovsky aren't traded or lost in the expansion draft, Gill would be the odd man out. Jamie Macoun, another unrestricted free agent after the season, is all but certain not to be back. And Golubovsky cannot be sent to the minors next season without clearing waivers, so if he's still around he would spend all season with the Wings, at least as a seventh defenseman. POWERLESS: The Wings, who did not practice Monday, surely will spend the bulk of their time today working on the power play. The Wings' power-play units looked better in Sunday's 3-1 defeat of Colorado than they had for most of the road trip, but they still aren't clicking like they should. The Wings are in a 2-for-27 funk and on many power plays don't even get a shot on goal, much less a scoring chance. They are caught in a cycle of too many passes and too few shots, especially from the point. "It seems to me we've got the puck on the perimeter most of the time," Brendan Shanahan said. "We've got control of the puck on the boards, but nothing is really happening.... Puck control is great, but once you've got it you've got to shoot and go to the net." Coach Scotty Bowman shuffled his units with key players out with injuries and suspensions. Shanahan was stationed in front of the net Sunday and not in the face-off circle, and the team was focusing on getting traffic in front. But the Wings still had problems getting shots in from the point. Teams have focused on defensemen Larry Murphy and Lidstrom, getting in front of their shots and forcing passes. |