While a couple of Red Wings players might be getting hot at the right time, you can’t say the same for a trio of surprising disappointments. You may have an inkling of who some of these players are, but you may not know how badly things have gone for them in 2024-25 at the quarter-way mark.
While it’s been primarily bad news in the Motor City this season, at least as far as hockey goes, it’s also not perma-bad, as a couple of players have exceeded some wild expectations. So, which names are up and which ones are down as we steamroll into the quarter-way mark of the 2024-25 campaign?
Patrick Kane - Bad Surprise
We’re now 20 games into the Red Wings season heading into Monday, and Patrick Kane is on pace for roughly 12 goals and 40 points. If this keeps up by the time January 1st rolls around, it’s time to admit that Kane is no longer a top-six player, and it may even help the Wings if they send him to finish his career elsewhere—Chicago, I expect?
And if you want to make the case anymore, Kane has barely helped the Wings in the offensive zone, contributing just a 41.9 Corsi For at even strength and a 7.6 on-ice shooting percentage. Ironically, the Wings have a 92.0 save percentage when Kane’s on the ice, but it’s about all he has going for him.
The Wings need a lot of help on offense, but Kane, along with a few other names, won’t be major scoring threats any time soon.
Simon Edvinsson - Good Surprise
Simon Edvinsson has 12 points in 44 career games, and eight of them have come in the last 19 contests, including six of seven career assists. With eight points in 19 outings, Edvinsson is nearing the half-point per game mark, foreshadowing an effective future two-way game.
Still, there’s room for Edvinsson to grow, evidenced with a below-50 in the Corsi For, 29 giveaways, just a 9.4 on-ice shooting percentage. But he’s more than off to a good start in what has been a successful first full season in the NHL.
Vladimir Tarasenko - Bad Surprise
Vladimir Tarasenko wasn’t impressive earlier this season, and part of me hoped I’d be able to exclude him from this list. But he’s still been struggling in Hockeytown, with just two goals in 19 games, meaning he’s not even on pace to find the net nine times if he keeps this up.
He’s logged some helpers lately, so that’s always a plus, but it’s still hard to look beyond those pair of goals, 6.5 shooting percentage, and 7.7 on-ice shooting percentage. Tarasenko’s Corsi For isn’t as bad as Kane’s, but at 44.0, it’s not much better and way below where we’d like him to be. Maybe he’ll enjoy a big end to the calendar year and start performing to expectations.
Cam Talbot - Good Surprise
Cam Talbot was going to be a great player for the Red Wings, or at least better than what the team has had for a while at goaltender. But through what has been a slump for Alex Lyon, Talbot’s held the fort down well, with an incredible 0.818 quality starts percentage, a 0.921 save percentage, and a 2.62 GAA.
If Lyon got back on track, it would give the Red Wings an ideal situation in the net, but it’s looking like they can lean on Talbot through most of the season if Lyon can’t get it together. Anyway, with Talbot entrenched in his age-37 season, it’s fun to see that he’s still playing at the level of other goaltenders five years younger than him.
Alex Lyon - Bad Surprise
To say I was disappointed to put Alex Lyon on this list might be the understatement of the young season. I thought for sure Steve Yzerman unearthed a diamond in the rough with Lyon, but over the past month, it’s been far from the case, and it shows in Lyon’s numbers.
At the quarter-way mark, Lyon has a 0.908 save percentage, a 2.85 GAA, and a quality starts percentage of just 0.429. It’s a far cry from that 0.955 and 1.46 GAA from a month ago, and his short-lived fame might be on the downturn if this kind of play keeps up.