Five games into the Red Wings season, I had a Trend and a Prediction for the Red Wings over the rest of October based on observations from both training camp and the beginning of the year. Now, a month into the year and with just under 15 games played, it feels like a good time to check in on how I did with my predictions, as well as make some new ones for November.

Buy Finnie stock now; Not quite .500

In unfortunate news for commenters on the last edition of this column, I highlighted the ascent of Emmitt Finnie at center. Ten games later, he’s playing on their top line, is on the top power play unit, and has three goals in his last five games.

Finnie doesn’t quite have the hands and pure puck handling skill you usually like to see out of a top-six center. But, the now 21-year-old’s been rapidly improving in those areas and his ability to break plays out into the offensive zone has made that shortcoming mean a little less when he’s got veterans like Viktor Arvidsson (8 goals, 14 points) Alex DeBrincat (6 goals, 15 points) on the wings for cleanup.

Meanwhile, my prediction for the Red Wings to finish the month with a .500 record was thwarted by a terrible ten minute stretch in their final game of the month against the St. Louis Blues, letting up three goals in the final period to fall 5-4 in the game.

With the loss, the Red Wings are at the bottom of the Atlantic with 15 of a possible 28 points in the standings.

Trend: Gibson Needs to Share

it’s been an up and down ride for John Gibson in October. The Red Wings have started Gibson in the majority of their games so far, giving him the nod ten times out of fourteen to start the season. So far, However, Gibson hasn’t exactly looked like the same goalie from that two-month stretch from December and January of last year.

Gibson is 4-5-1, and has let up three or more goals in seven games this year. The Red Wings have other options in net, with both Daniil Tarasov and Michal Postava putting in quality starts when called upon. It’s no secret that the Red Wings ran Gibson too much for the back half of last season.

Detroit needs to reconsider their rotation in order to get the best out of him and the rest of the team to win games.

Gibson thrives on competition with his fiery personality. Give him some motivation.

Prediction: Red Wings Solve Roster before Thanksgiving

Dylan Larkin has quit playing for the team, with the Red Wings suspending the former captain as of Oct. 29. They have also yet to sign RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson, with Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff last updating the situation to Detroit media as “the status quo.”

Detroit should, however, be trying to resolve both situations as soon as possible.

In stark contrast to the first month of their season, the Red Wings have a heavy away schedule for November. The team only has one home game in the first two weeks of the month, which should provide plenty of cover for the Red Wings management to begin working on some off-ice questions.

At some point the spectacle has to end, and it feels like both the Red Wings brass and the broader media apparatus are getting tired of the circus.

Larkin deciding to stop playing indicates his own weariness with the situation, and Edvinsson is under a deadline to sign, or force the Red Wings hand for a trade by Dec. 1 in order to play in the NHL this year. Hopefully Horcoff is able to give Red Wings fans something to be thankful for by re-signing Edvinsson and getting the right return for Larkin as they move towards December.