Detroit Red Wings are paying combined $10 million for zero goals in 29 games

The Detroit Red Wings are once again in a serious funk, with their latest loss coming at the hands of the Ottawa Senators last night.

The Red Wings were outshot 9-0 in the first ten minutes of play before they got their first attempt on Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark, a continuation of what has become a perplexing trend under maligned coach Derek Lalonde.

An even more worrying statistical reality is that two of Detroit's higher-paid players have scored exactly zero goals in their last combined 29 games despite earning over $5 million AAV.

Andrew Copp (AAV of $5.625 million), who has drawn considerable criticism for his routine disappearing act, hasn't scored in his last 13 games.

Meanwhile, J.T. Compher (AAV of $5.1 million) hasn't scored in his last 16 games.

A major reason why the Red Wings once again find themselves near the bottom of both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference is the subpar performances of key players in their lineup.

Just like last year, Copp started this season with a handful of goals in his first few games, giving the fans hope that he could potentially live up to his contract.

But now, he appears back on the trend of not making an appearance on the scoresheet for weeks on end - hardly acceptable for a player making the money that he is.

Compher was crucial to the success Detroit enjoyed in the regular season last year, but his prolonged scoring slump this year is becoming a considerable issue.