Detroit Red Wings’ season preview: Will the Yzerplan deliver in 2023?

The Detroit Red Wings preseason is wrapping up in the coming days. For NHL fans, speculators, doubters, and haters, this is the best time to predict, to use our crystal ball, or to be on record for all to see if we are indeed hockey’s Nostradamus or a clown…

I will subject myself to the potential ridicule and praise as I dive into the four divisions and analyze the Detroit Red Wings against the competition, key factors in the head-to-head, and spotlighting impact players or familiar faces along the way. Let’s talk about the Red Wings first.

The Yzerplan is alive and well. Rome was not built in a day, and neither are hockey dynasties. Trolls and John Scott’s alike have called for change and want results yesterday. This is not a reasonable ask for the task of repairing an organization that once stood as the most feared in the league for a quarter century.

Prior to their continued run at excellence, Steve Yzerman was the center of the Detroit Red Wings rebuild as a player. Nearly 40 years later, he is the architect of the Red Wings. The team utilized the draft, trades, and free agency to ascend to greatness. We are seeing the same things right now happening. The future is bright with players selected over the past five drafts. The draft has brought the Red Wings the following 1st rounders: Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson, Sebastion Cossa, Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, and Axel Sandin Pellikka. That is not even mentioning the depth of Trey Augustine, Carter Mazur, Amadeus Lombardi, and William Wallinder. The team will have a solid core with this group of Yzerman draft picks.

In building a team, you have to look in the cupboard for what you inherited. Yzerman needed time to let bad contracts expire and move on from players who did not fit the mold of the Detroit Red Wings going forward. While the team needed to be competitive to keep fans engaged, we have seen a collection of stopgap signings until last summer when Andrew Copp, David Perron, and Ben Chariot were added to the lineup.

Yzerman contained his run of improving for now by adding the likes of JT Compher, Justin Holl, and Shayne Gostisbehere. Yzerman improved the team via trade by obtaining Ville Husso, Jake Walman, Jeff Petry, Klim Kostin, and Alex Debrincat (who should have been drafted by the Red Wings in 2016, but hey, Cholowski it was).

With these additions surrounding Dylan Larkin (the newly crowned longest-tenured Detroit athlete), the team’s growth will be a sight to see. It would kind of be like how Tampa Bay struggled, moved on from fan favorites and poor contracts, and then won back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Another key piece to the Detroit Red Wings future success is coach Derek Lalonde. The guy is a proven winner from the junior level, the minors, and the show. His ability to motivate and push players effectively is remarkable. You don’t win championships wherever you go by mistake. His ability to learn from Jon Cooper is also invaluable to leading the Red Wings back to the playoffs.

With so much to be excited about that is new, it is important to know what you have. This is a big year for three Detroit Red Wings forwards: Robby Fabbri, Michael Rasmussen, and Joe Veleno.

Can Detroit Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri stay healthy?

The former first-round pick has missed significant time in his NHL career and missed roughly 50% of his games in the last two seasons.  That being said, Fabbri is capable of netting 25 goals and 30 assists, being a solid top-9 player.

Will Micheal Rasmussen continue to himself as an upper-tier power forward? The Red Wings saw “Raz” take off last year. He tallied career highs despite playing in only 56 games. His 200-foot play and physical play gave him space to show he is a threat in the O-zone. His size gives him an advantage in matching up against the opponent’s offensive threats.

Can Joe Veleno take the next step? Joe has the ability to be a breakthrough player with his speed and offensive skills. He sometimes is a step behind in the defensive zone and puts himself in areas to utilize his capabilities. He needs to start the year hot to earn his minutes. The train is going to leave the station, with or without him.

The Detroit Red Wings will not have an easy take at hand, even with the Yzerplan as their roadmap to success. Let’s see how the team will be fair in each division.

Can the Detroit Red Wings move up the standings in the Atlantic?

The Detroit Red Wings have a tough task at hand competing in the Atlantic. Yzerplan can be successful, and the Red Wings can still finish 7th in the division. This should not be a concern for this season, as the team still needs to figure out how to break the 90-point barrier to be a playoff contender. They will have the most room for improvement in the division, with each game having more meaning to gain distance in the standings. With additions like Debrincat, “Ghost”, and Compher, they have a chance to do so.

The Detroit Red Wings finished with their worst divisional record against any division last season, finishing 9-14-3, amounting to collecting only 40% of their possible points.

This is a tough division, maybe the toughest in the NHL in terms of teams meeting in the middle of the competition.   In order to make the playoffs, the Red Wings need to flip the script and collect at least 60% of their divisional points. The difficult part of competing in this division is that the playoff teams from last year have points to give to the ascending teams, like Detroit, are Ottawa, Buffalo, and even Montreal.

While the Habs do not have a chance of making the playoffs, they can win 35-40 games this year with their acquisitions the past two seasons. Coach Marty St. Louis already shows he can get the best out of his players. One more year of experience will only make the team more competitive. Buffalo was a win away from securing a playoff spot. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin had breakout seasons last year. I only think with both players gaining confidence, we still have not seen their best. Ottawa ran out of steam in the last leg of the season.

Brady Tkaczuk will lead the charge, with Tim Stützle on the verge of being a superstar. Boston will not repeat their success with the retiring of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. With David Pastrnak, newly appointed captain Brad Marchand, and Charly McAvoy carrying the torch, a return to the playoffs is still in the cards.   As much pain as it takes to admit it, I think the Maple Leafs will be the top of the division. The core four of the Matthews-Tavares-Marner-Nylander window together may be coming to an end. The group will be motivated to win the cup more than any other season. I also believe the “Battle of Florida” will take its toll on both the Lightning and the Panthers. Both teams start the season with key players either injured or returning from injury. With that being said, it’s possible that all eight teams finish the year with at least 40 wins.

Prediction:

1. Toronto *
2. Buffalo *
3. Tampa * 
4. Boston* 
5. Detroit* 
6. Ottawa
7. Florida
8. Montreal

The Detroit Red Wings may not be out west and the storylines have changed.

The Western Conference does not hold the storylines as it once did when the Detroit Red Wings since they moved to the East. The rivalries with Chicago, Colorado, and St Louis no longer have the same hatred and emotion as it once had. The West also reminds me of the late nights as a child listening to the radio while the Red Wings made the Western Canada and California trip. I do not miss the West outside of not getting to see the Vegas Golden Knights and Seatle Kraken more often.

If you are a super fan or just getting into the game, there will be must-watch television. Only being able to see the Detroit Red Wings play against Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard a total of four times each is not enough.

The Detroit Red Wings did not compete well last season with the Central Division. They earned a measly thirteen points in sixteen contests. The offense never clicks and limited netting just a small fraction over two goals a game. Ultimately, they need to split with the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars. With players like Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskinen, Joe Pavelski and Nathan McKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Devon Toews for the Stars and Avalanche, respectively will prove that even splitting will be no easy task.

The Red Wings need to sweep the obtain three of four points from Arizona, Chicago, St. Louis, and Winnipeg. While each one of those teams has rising star power, I think the turnover on the Red Wings roster makes them more competitive and will be able to do so. I think it is reasonable that the Wild and Predators will split with the Red Wings again.

The Pacific Division was a bright spot for the Detroit Red Wings in 2022-2023. They earned two-thirds of their possible points and can repeat. the only teams the Red Wings did not split with were the Kings and the Kraken. The Kings have a strong back end and maybe the best center depth in the league.

This will prove difficult for the Wings to earn a split. The Kraken has created an identity of four “second lines”. The Kraken also has the budding young star, Matty Beniers, whose ability to be a game-breaker will be more evident this season, making it a task for the Red Wings to even the season series.

San Jose and Anaheim are still a few steps behind in comparison to the Yzerman in Detroit. San Jose needs to see if it can part from any more hefty contracts. Maybe Logan Couture ends up in Boston, or Marc Vlasic is retained for 50% of his contact. With or without these moves, the Sharks lack the ability to keep up with the Red Wings’ speed and depth. The Ducks with also struggle with the Red Wings. While the Ducks have young, skilled players, they do not have the experience to compete with the Wings.

Players like David Perron, Andrew Copp, and JT Compher should create terrible matchups for the young team with their hard play and grit. The Calgary Flames should have a bounce-back year but are going to need to find a new identity. The Red Wings will sweep them again. Vancouver will see a similar fate again. It would be nice to see Lucas Raymond take a big step while playing against countryman Elias Pettersson.

The two teams that will make it most difficult for the Detroit Red Wings this season will be the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights. While Moritz Seider has proven he is one player who can steadily defend Conner McDavid and fellow German Leon Draisaitl, a healthy Oilers squad will be difficult to contain. The Oilers are also motivated to win the cup in a similar fashion to the Leafs. McDavid and Draisaitl need to prove that they can coexist and win a cup. I think the Wings will split.

The defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights round out the preview. If there is a good sign in Motown, is that the Knights won the cup with a massive defense core that the Red Wings are starting to emulate. It will be a show to see how these teams compare when they meet at the end of January. Jack Eichel was an x-factor for Vegas last season and will be even more comfortable with his team. I think that in order for the Wings to split, they need to contain Eichel and not get pushed around by Will Carrier, Nicholas Roy, and Keegan Kolesar. If they can handle their attack, they can split.

The Detroit Red Wings play thirty-two games against the West. If they can improve on their fifteen victories from last year to 18-20 wins, playoffs will be a lock.