Toward the end of his first press conference of 2019 on Tuesday, Red Wings’ coach Jeff Blashill was posed a difficult question for someone in his position: At the exact midpoint of the season, had his team’s performance been disappointing? Or was a low spot in the standings almost a given considering the injuries the team faced?



It was probably a no-win situation for him to answer, but he gave a good faith response, regardless. Blashill talked about being disappointed in outcomes but not in the team’s process or effort levels. Ultimately, it does Blashill very little good to dwell on anything that has already happened with his team — not just because it has largely resulted in losses, but because the next test is always just a day or two away. It’s an important season for the future of the franchise, not to mention for Blashill himself — he is in a contract year — so he doesn’t really have time to look away from the task at...