Record - 32-40-10 (74 points), 6th in the Atlantic Division
Goals For: 230 (25th in the NHL), Goals Against: 312 (30th in the NHL)
Leading Goal Scorer - Dylan Larkin (31)
Leading Point Scorer - Dylan Larkin (69)
It has been a long 6 years for the Detroit Red Wings. After making the playoffs for an astonishing 25 straight seasons, the Wings haven't come close to playoff contention since 2016. They, like the Senators, completely rebuilt their team from scratch. The process began under former GM Ken Holland, who has since passed the torch over to one of the greatest players to ever put on a Red Wings Jersey, Steve Yzerman. After putting together the current dynasty that is the Tampa Bay Lightning, Yzerman sought out a new challenge in bringing a championship back to the city of Detroit. It hasn't been easy, but I believe with the current roster as well as the players in their system, the Red Wings are right on the doorstep to being back in playoff contention once again.
As far as last year goes, the Wings were right in it for a good portion of the season. They were .500 at the 50 game mark and weren't completely out of the Wild Card picture just yet. All they needed was a sizable winning streak or two down the stretch to keep the playoff hopes alive. The exact opposite happened. They had not one, but two separate 6 game losing streaks that took them out of the playoff picture entirely.
There were positive takeaways from last season despite the way it ended. Their 2019 and 2020 first round picks (both drafted by Steve-Y) in Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond had phenomenal rookie campaigns. Seider, a German defenseman, took home the Calder Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year. He posted 50 points, a league-high among rookie defenseman and fourth among all rookies. He was an even bigger presence defensively for the Wings, blocking 161 shots and tallying 151 hits, both of which are huge numbers for any defenseman let alone a rookie. He's a player that I can see being in the Norris conversation next year and for many years to come.
Lucas Raymond was right above Seider in rookie scoring, finishing his first year with 23 goals and 57 points which was good for third among all rookies. His dynamic playmaking ability, lethal shot, and sneaky speed was able to get him the fourth most votes for the Calder Trophy. What particularly impressed me with both rookies was that they appeared in all 82 games, and didn't seem to slow down as the season wore on. The sky is the limit for both of these young studs.
Steve Yzerman took a similar approach this offseason in improving his team as Pierre Dorion did up in Ottawa. He wanted to add more depth up front and get better between the pipes. He did just that and then some. Yzerman was able to land center Andrew Copp, as well as wingers David Perron and Dominick Kubalik. He also added goaltender Ville Husso and defenseman Ben Chiarot.
Copp, who was traded from the Jets to the Rangers at the deadline, is a more than capable 2nd line center that has always been strong defensively, and has now found his scoring touch. He had a career high 21 goals and 53 points last season. With Perron, you get experience and player that has only seemed to get better with age like a fine wine. With a Stanley Cup championship under his belt and two finals appearances, he brings plenty of experience to help lead this team come playoff time. He's always been a guy you hate to play against, but would love to have on your team. Now Detroit has him, and it'll be interesting to see the impact he has on the younger players. Kubalik, just two years removed from his monster 30 goal rookie campaign with Chicago where he finished 3rd in Calder voting, gives them a nice scoring option in their bottom 6 and 2nd powerplay unit. Husso had a fabulous season with the Blues last, winning over the number 1 job from Jordan Binnington. He'll probably be the starter on opening night, but regardless, the Wings have nice 1-2 punch in net with him and Alex Nedeljkovic. Big Ben Chiarot, who was traded to the Panthers last season in exchange for a first round pick, provides size and experience to a d-core that's lacking in both. He's a great shutdown defensemen that'll help improve a Wing's penalty kill that finished dead last in the NHL last season.
All of these players will be beneficial to this team's growth in the immediate and distant future. But I think the most impactful decision made by Steve Yzerman this offseason was to bring in Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde to run the show. What's ironic is that the now former Red Wings' HC Jeff Blashill will be taking Lalonde's old job as the new assistant coach of the Lightning. Lalonde is a man that Yzerman is familiar with, having hired him back in 2018 when he was GM of the Lightning. Lalonde is familiar with winning, having won back to back Stanley Cups with Tampa and appearing in the last three Cup finals. This is a great fit for both guys.
So he brings in depth up front, he brings in size on the backend, he brings in goaltending, and he brings in a winning culture with a new head coach. What's Yzerman missing for this team to contend again? As far as their current roster goes, I think it's just secondary scoring and defense. They had 7 players with a +/- rating of -20 or worse last year. That's absolutely brutal. The need to get better defensively at even strength has to be one of the main points of emphasis for this team this year. Outside of that, I don't see any reason why this team can't be in the mix for a Wild Card spot come spring time if they stay healthy. I can't emphasize the health part enough. Players like Robbi Fabbri and Jacob Vrana can't miss large chunks of the season like they did last year. If they, along with the rest of the core lineup can stay healthy, then I'd be more surprised if they finished in the bottom of the conference standings than if they made playoffs. They may be the youngest team in the league, but they have that much talent. They just have to put the pieces together.
In terms of the future of this storied Original Six team, it's really just a matter of seeing how things pan out with the young players on their roster as well as in their farm system. They've drafted so well thus far, so one can only assume at this point that their more recent picks will also turn out to be a big part of this team's future. We'll just have to see what the next phase of the Yzerplan is.
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