Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press answered some fan mail, this question regarding the coaching staff.

The back-to-back lopsided losses at Boston and Montreal were ugly, but let’s be realistic: this has been a team that’s had to field as many as four rookie defensemen, one of whom (Libor Sulak, since sent to Grand Rapids) had never played on the smaller North American ice sheet until last month. The team does not have an elite defenseman nor superstar scorers. My sense is management and ownership isn’t about to fire Blashill so long as the team looks competitive — asses how they play in a game more so than the result. Take the Tampa Bay game — the Wings lost but played well against an extremely talented opponent.

When Dan Bylsma was signed this past summer to a three-year contract, the optics made it look like he’s the successor if Blashill is fired. But I don’t sense that’s coming unless things really fall apart. Bear in mind, too, the ownership and management recognize how hard it’s been to start the season with as many as five veteran defensemen injured. The loss of Mike Green — arguably the team’s best defenseman last season — has been especially mitigating.

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