Oh, how the Red Wings wish they could go back to the Conference Semifinals. They had a 3-1 series lead on the eventual champion Blackhawks, they were playing over their heads, and they appeared poised to battle for a shot at the Cup... but then the wheels fell off, they lost the final three games of the series, and the Wings were left to lick their wounds. They wasted little time this offseason, signing Daniel Alfreddson and Stephen Weiss to bolster their forward depth. They are, however, currently over the salary cap, though that can be remedied by sending either Tomas Tatar or Danny DeKeyser down to the minors (DeKeyser would save them more money). The move to the Eastern Conference puts them with the old Northeast teams and the Florida teams in what is now known as the Atlantic Division (there's just about nothing Atlantic about it except Boston), and I think they'll do quite nicely there. These may not be your father's Red Wings anymore, but they're still a potent team whose incredible run of 22 straight years with a playoff berth should continue.
Projected Forward Lines:
Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Daniel Alfredsson
Johan Franzen - Stephen Weiss - Gustav Nyquist
Tomas Tatar - Darren Helm - Todd Bertuzzi
Justin Abdelkader - Joakim Andersson - Drew Miller
Jordin Tootoo - Mikael Samuelsson
This depth chart assumes that the Wings shed some money through burying people in the minors, making a trade, or trying to bury contracts only to have the players not clear waivers. The top forwards on this team are up there in age, but the Red Wings front office has already begun shaping this roster for the future. Nyquist and Tatar are future top line players, and they have some of the best in the business to learn under. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are still a deadly duo, and with Alfredsson now joining them, this is a line that will outwit and undress opposing defenses. Weiss comes over from the Panthers and will center the second line, alongside Franzen and Nyquist, giving them a good balance of power, finesse, and shooting ability. Abdelkader will continue to punish opponents, but I believe that he needs to assert himself in other areas of the game in order to become a better player.
Projected Defensive Pairings:
Niklas Kronwall - Jonathan Ericsson
Jakub Kindl - Kyle Quincey
Brendan Smith - Danny DeKeyser
Brian Lashoff
I feel as though there will be multiple new household names from this bunch after the season ends. Kindl played very well in the playoffs last season and is developing into a solid two-way defenseman. You probably never hear about Ericsson because his partner spends most of his time gaining headlines for his crushing hits on opposing players. Quincey has bounced around a bit in his career, but he's been an adequate player everywhere he's been. I'd like to see him regain his offensive touch that he had in his only season in Los Angeles, when he put up 34 assists. DeKeyser is a responsible player who has good positioning, which will allow Smith to join the rush more often. Overall, the players on the blueline complement each other well and should succeed this year.
Goaltending:
Jimmy Howard
Jonas Gustavsson
Howard has been excellent the past two seasons yet never seems to get the recognition he deserves. Perhaps it's because the NHL is full of great goaltenders right now, but normally a season with a 2.13 GAA and a .923 save percentage warrants at least a nomination for the Vezina trophy. However, in a world where seemingly every year a handful of goalies are playing out of their minds, Howard gets left out in the cold (heh... cold... ice hockey... ice is cold... I'm funny). Anyway, expect another good year from Howard. Gustavsson returns as the backup to Howard, and the man known as "The Monster" should see 20 games this year.
Special Teams:
Detroit's power play was slightly above the league average last season, hitting on 18.4% of their chances, good for 15th in the NHL. Adding Weiss and Alfredsson to that group should help, but as always you worry about chemistry when adding new pieces to a roster that has found previous success. They also did just fine at getting their power play on the ice, finishing second in the league with 185 opportunities. They finished +21 in the penalty battle a season ago, which was one of the best differentials in the league. The penalty kill was no slouch either, finishing 12th and scoring three shorthanded goals. The PKers in Detroit are fast and unafraid to play aggressively, which can cause chaos for opponents.
X-Factor:
This is the most talent up front that the Red Wings have assembled since their 2009 iteration lost to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Finals. The biggest variable for this team is whether they can put it all together in a new division and conference. They won't be the fastest, biggest, youngest, or most dangerous team in the league, but this might be the smartest team you'll find, and oftentimes that's enough to win a lot of games. They may have a lot of miles on them, but they know how to win games and will even invent new ways to win.
The Red Wings will make the playoffs if...
... the established veterans play the way they're supposed to, the younger guys make strides, and the defense asserts itself. This is a very good hockey team that should thrive in the new Atlantic Division. They have solid opponents in Boston, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, but even still a division title is not out of the question for this group. Detroit believes that they have added the right pieces to make another run at the Cup while the window's still open, and while that remains to be seen I think they're better now than they were at the end of last season.
The Red Wings will miss the playoffs if...
... the defense regresses severely and Weiss and Alfredsson don't click with the rest of the team. It almost sounds like sacrilege that anyone would even consider the possibilities that could cause this team to miss the playoffs. However, after last year's scare it has to at least be touched upon. Their 22-year run is by far the longest active streak in the NHL (second place: San Jose, 9 years) and it is also the longest active streak in any of the four major North American sports. This team has the chops to make it 23, but as always in the NHL, it will not be easy.
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