Hasek, I Fear, Is About Done

The Dominator is now The Dominated.

I railed about this last month, and it hasn't gotten any better, really.

The Red Wings need to seriously consider whether goalie Dominik Hasek is done.

Hasek was miserable -- again -- in St. Louis last night, giving up four goals in seven shots in the second period of the team's 4-3 loss to the Blues. A couple were toughies, but the others were highly stoppable.

Like I say, I'm not sure when the end comes for 42-year-old goaltenders in the NHL (Hasek will turn 43 in January). I don't know if they lose it suddenly, or if there's gradual degradation in skill. I don't know because I've never seen a 42-year-old goalie perform. Oh, there was Jacques Plante back in the day, and others in the 1950s and '60s performed into their 40s. But that's before even this oldtimer's generation.

Hasek, to be fair, has been slowed by injury this season. And there's still plenty of time to decide whether an upgrade needs to be sought in some sort of trade-deadline deal. That, and the fact that 35-year-old Chris Osgood has played well (8-1 this season), has cushioned the blow of Hasek's disturbing inconsistency. But his spotty play can't be ignored any longer.

The Red Wings, I believe, are improved even from last spring, when they made it all the way to the conference finals. They were, frankly, a fluke goal away (end of regulation in Game 5) from making the Cup Finals. Still, that team isn't as good as the one that performs today.

But they are not going anywhere if the goaltending that Hasek is providing now is a sneak preview of what he'll give the Red Wings in April. And how much can, or should, the Red Wings rely on Osgood?

Coach Mike Babcock omitted Hasek as one of the guilty parties in last night's come-from-ahead loss (the Wings blew a 2-0 lead). My guess is that such free passes are being handed out now, in deference to all Hasek has done in his career. But they can't go on forever, if Dom continues to battle the puck -- and losing on most occasions.

I hope I'm proven wrong, but I fear that we've seen the last of the great goaltending play from Dominik Hasek. The Red Wings would be best served to start thinking about looking at their netminding as something that needs fixing before the playoffs.