Red Wings tickets for Tuesday's home game against Ottawa are going for as little as $14, with the Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson sagas hanging over everything.
That was the cheapest get-in price on TickPick for a game against one of Detroit's biggest rivals. Call it a bargain if you want. It reads more like a warning.
One account put it bluntly: "Ownership needs to do something quick, as fans continue to boycott this current Red Wings franchise."
The signs were already there. Fans chanted "sell the team" at the home opener, a 2-0 loss to the Rangers, and Detroit followed it with a 3-2 home loss to Winnipeg on Sunday.
Larkin was booed as he was introduced with the scratches on opening night. He reportedly requested a trade this summer and lost the captaincy.
Edvinsson is home in Sweden without a contract and reportedly prefers a trade. Steve Yzerman is gone, and Shawn Horcoff is running things on an interim basis.
Detroit ownership faces a fan base that's voting with its wallet
Empty seats hit differently than angry chants. Chants fade, but bargain-bin prices tell ownership exactly how much faith fans have left.
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The pressure lands on the people above Horcoff. Fans have made it clear they don't see this as an interim GM's problem.
Ownership needs to act now. Signing Edvinsson would be the fastest way to tell this fan base the franchise still wants to win.
It's like a restaurant offering half-price wings because the dining room is empty. The deal is real, but everyone knows why it exists.
Todd McLellan's group is 0-2-0. Ottawa arrives on the second half of a back-to-back after visiting Boston on Monday, and if Detroit fans stay home, plenty of those seats could fill with Senators sweaters.
The price will tell the story by Tuesday. If it drops any lower, ownership won't need a chant to hear the message.
Should Red Wings ownership sell the team?
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