There is no way to sugar coat it. The Detroit Red Wings are just a different team with and without the services of Mike Green. On many other teams Green would be a 4th or 5th defenseman so why does this team rely so much on him?
It’s pretty simple, they don’t have much depth on the back-end, and he’s the most talented option we have at the moment. Understanding it hasn’t been only Green who has been out with injuries. Trevor Daley is a reliable defenceman, an above average skater but basically a shot blocking defensive defenseman.