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Jeff Blashill, Red Wings Agree to Contract Extension Amid 5-Year Playoff Drought
May 18, 2021
The Detroit Red Wings announced Tuesday they have agreed to a contract extension with head coach Jeff Blashill.
Detroit finished the season with 48 points in 56 games, tied for the worst mark in the Central division. It represents the organization's fifth straight year with a losing record and no playoff appearances after reaching the postseason in each of the previous 25 seasons.
Blashill just completed his sixth year as head coach of the Red Wings and is the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL.
The 47-year-old has a 172-221-62 mark in his career, plus just a 1-4 mark in the playoffs.
It's been an extensive rebuild for the Red Wings, although there were significant improvements this year compared to the 17-49-5 mark from 2019-20.
The team has several promising young players including Filip Hronek and Filip Zadina while Lucas Raymond should make an impact before too long. It could be enough to provide optimism for 2021-22, although there will be plenty of pressure on Blashill to improve in a hurry.
