Breaking down the Detroit Red Wings opening night roster for 2023-24
By Tyler Kotila
Breaking down the Detroit Red Wings 2023-24 defense core
It was an off-season of improvements and additions for the Detroit Red Wings, and they made sure to upgrade their defense core and the rest of the roster. With Moritz Seider coming into his own as he continues his young NHL career, the Red Wings beefed things up overall.
Jake Walman signed his extension last season and was a no-brainer to make the team’s roster after the 2022-23 season that he had. Similarly, Olli Määttä signed his extension last season and has done his very best to step up and fill a role with the team, earning himself a chance to prove himself again this season after he also earned an extension last season.
Ben Chiarot was very underwhelming in 2022-23, so he’s looking to come out and make some improvements to his game or at least provide valuable play when he is on the ice. Outside of the returners, the Red Wings have a few new faces.
The team is carrying seven defensemen on their roster into the 2023-24 season, and three of them are new faces. One of the new additions is someone who could be sneaky-good for the Red Wings organization. Veteran Shayne Gostisbehere is hoping that he can step up and be a beneficial addition moving forward. The Red Wings are hoping to add him into the second-pairing and possibly get him some special teams time.
On top of that, the Red Wings made a trade before training camp began, adding in a hometown-boy in Jeff Petry. The son of former Detroit Tigers, Dan Petry, will come into Detroit as a proven veteran with upside on both sides of the ice, looking to slot in and be a beneficial addition in the bottom pairing of the team’s defense core.
Lastly, the Red Wings grabbed another veteran in Justin Holl, who will likely serve as some depth in the team’s bottom two pairings. He could very well be someone who serves as a depth defender and someone who helps the team as the plug’n’play defender.
Some may be wondering, where is Simon Edvinsson? The Red Wings opted to put a pin in things with the young defender. He was sent back to the minors to join the Grand Rapids Griffins. Edvinsson will take some more time in the minors before he gets his chance to rejoin the Red Wings.