The Detroit Red Wings are celebrating their 100th year as a franchise all season and the festivities may not extend to the playoffs. Detroit has a franchise-record, nine-year postseason drought and it seems like a stretch to predict the skid will stop. The team's best chance to exceed low expectations is to have winger Lucas Raymond or defenseman Moritz Seider suddenly become a superstar. The Red Wings open the season Oct. 9 at home against Montreal. The Red Wings acquired goaltender John Gibson in a trade with Anaheim and signed James van Riemsdyk, coming off a 36-point season.
Last season: 39-35-8, missed playoffs.
COACH: Todd McLellan (26-18-4 as midseason replacement for Derek Lalonde).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 9 vs. Montreal.
DEPARTURES: F Vladimir Tarasenko, G Alex Lyon, D Jeff Petry, C Craig Smith.
ADDITIONS: G John Gibson, LW James van Riemsdyk, C Mason Appleton, D Travis Hamonic, D Jacob Bernard-Docker.
GOALIES: Gibson (11-11-2, 2.77 goals-against average, 0.911 save percentage), Cam Talbot (21-19-5, 2.93).
BETMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 90-1.
What to expect
The Red Wings are celebrating their 100th year as a franchise but the festivities may not extend to the playoffs. Detroit has a franchise-record, nine-year postseason drought and it seems like a stretch to predict the skid will stop in the spring. The team's best chance to exceed low expectations is for winger Lucas Raymond or defenseman Moritz Seider to suddenly become a superstar. The Red Wings' relatively significant moves were acquiring a backup goaltender (Gibson) in a trade with Anaheim and signing the 36-year-old van Riemsdyk (36 points last season) and the 29-year-old Appleton (22).
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Marco Kasper are scorers the Red Wings can count on. Seider has not missed a game in his four NHL seasons and has averaged 45 points per year, providing much-needed stability and talent on the blue line. The 32-year-old Gibson and 38-year-old Talbot give the team a lot of experience in net. McLellan has 624 career wins, ranking fourth among active NHL coaches, and is entering first full season to give the team some continuity from the bench.
The not-so-good: General manager Steve Yzerman, a beloved Hall of Fame player for the franchise, has not been able to make enough moves to turn around a franchise he was hired to guide in 2019. Detroit does not have a superstar, a void the franchise has had since 2012 when four-time Stanley Cup champion and seven-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom retired. When the Red Wings' top two lines are on the bench, they may struggle to score.
Players to watch
Gibson started the fewest games (28) in a decade last season for the Ducks and he's going to have every opportunity to play much more as Detroit's No. 1 goalie. Raymond had a team- and career-high 80 points last season and the team desperately needs him to become an All-Star for the first time. Simon Edvinsson, the No. 6 overall pick in 2021, showed some promise in his first full NHL season with seven goals and 24 assists last year. Kane, who had 59 points last season, is 32 points from breaking the NHL's all-time record for points by a player born in the United States (Hall of Famer Mike Modano, 1,374 points).
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