Red Wings extend Jeff Blashill for two years

It was only a matter of time.

Tuesday afternoon the Detroit Red Wings announce that they have extended head coach Jeff Blashill for two more years. Blashill took over as coach for the 2015-16 season after several years within the organization. He is about to wrap up his fourth campaign behind the bench.

The Red Wings commitment to Blashill shows the faith they have in him. His record may not show it, but he has done a lot of good things to earn that trust. The talk of “culture” won’t be his saving grace with most fans, but you can’t deny he has maintain the identity that makes the Red Wings so special.

The two-year timeline will be an interesting one to keep an eye on. If the rebuild stays on schedule, Detroit should be closer to the playoffs than they are picking in the top-5 of the NHL draft.