A Detroit Red Wings Thanksgiving

As you sit down with your loved ones and start the annual tradition of overstuffing yourself with copious amounts of food, the Detroit Red Wings season may not come to your mind as far as things to be thankful for. It has been tough sledding thus far into the season, and everyone has the arbitrary date of American Thanksgiving as the determining factor of who will make the playoffs according to current standings. Although there is some merit to that theory, I urge you to take your mind off of the hurdle that must be climbed and appreciate the scenery that may be in front of you today…with a Detroit Red Wings twist. This is a list of which Detroit Red Wings players are most closely comparable to the Day of Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey- Dylan Larkin

Imagine you showed up at your grandma’s house for the annual Thanksgiving feast, and the entire lineup of food was spread across the dining room table. But right there in the center spot, all you could see was the 80-year-old linen tablecloth that she only breaks out once a year for this special occasion. There is no Turkey?

The main part of the Thanksgiving meal is missing, thus making you question whether this is actually a Thanksgiving dinner at all. Are the Detroit Red Wings even the same team without captain Dylan Larkin? The short answer is no, and we have seen this throughout his career. When Larkin misses time from injury, the team is not the same, and it becomes painfully obvious very quickly that something is missing, no matter how delicious the side dishes might be. The biggest example was last season during stretches in which Detroit was without Larkin, the team went 2-9-0 and allowed 36 goals against in those games. He is clearly the centerpiece and leader of this team. Without him, the dinner becomes a charcuterie board. 

Ham- Lucas Raymond 

In the same vein as the turkey, a nice honey-glazed ham is always a suitable substitute in a pinch and is even preferred by a small group of people. Remember that same sample size of games that Larkin had missed last season? Well who stepped up to fill in that empty spot on the table? It was Lucas Raymond. Undoubtedly, the team was not the same.

Something was off, however Raymond put the team on his back and carried the weight of the burden to be the main course to keep them afloat. Kicking and screaming, the other components of the table were dragged through that stretch of games by Raymond, who kept them as competitive as possible with the remaining roster that was available. In his career, he has played 27 games without Dylan Larkin in the lineup, and in those games, he has posted 10 goals and eight assists. That is >0.6 points per game. On the surface, that may not seem astronomical, but it is enough to keep the dinner afloat and the family together without any arguments started by your drunken grandfather. 

Cranberry Sauce- Jonatan Berggren

I would estimate that roughly 70 percent of you just thought to yourself, “Yuck!” because, let's face it, cranberry sauce is super divisive and clearly not for everybody. This is because of two reasons: you have either never given it a chance and have predetermined that you will not like it with the meal, or you are set in your ways that when you fill up your plate with all the usual more “mainstream” dishes, you run out of room on your plate.

This, in turn, means you never get the opportunity to fully appreciate what the cranberry sauce can bring to the lineup. After a tumultuous off-season, where it was unclear whether Berggren would even be in the city of Detroit, he put in the work on his defensive game and made his way onto the Red Wings roster. His counting stats are not out of this world thus far this season; however, if you give him the chance and find room to put him on your plate, you may realize that he has a lot to offer. At times, his line has been arguably the most competitive on the roster. Even when they are struggling, he has found ways to contribute with his shot and driving force that has forced multiple power plays. 

Jonatan Berggren has shown that he can push the pace of play in a way that the other depth forwards can not.

Gravy- Seider/Edvinsson Pair

When your mother-in-law overcooks nearly everything in the feast, and it all tastes like the Red Wings, smother your plate in gravy, baby! It makes literally everything better, even if deep down, it is still not great to begin with. That is exactly what Seider and Edvinsson have done to our eyeballs when watching the defense play for Detroit. Without them, the meal would be impossible to swallow, but with them, they cover up the dryness of everyone else just enough to make the meal passable. Nearly every Red Wings fan was roaring at management to bring up Simon Edvinsson to the big club last season. When he finally got his chance, he showed glimmers of hope. Now, as a full-time Red Wing, that hope has flourished into downright success.

This season, the duo's 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes hovers over 2.5 while the expected goals against is sub 1.9. Outside of the top pair, there is not much else to be excited about on the blue line. The signing of Gustafsson to replace Shayne Gostisbehere has been an utter failure, and the likes of Petry and Holl still show a lack of defensive ability to be trusted on special teams. How many bites could you take of a dry turkey before you choke yourself out of the dinner entirely?

The Unexpected Fun Uncle- Alex Debrincat

Do you know that crazy, off-the-wall uncle who is your typical family wildcard? You know, the guy you even sometimes forget is in your family because he will go on multiple holidays without making an appearance? But then, on that random day, he shows up unexpectedly, and you remember how much you love him. Everyone wants to spend more time playing tackle football in the backyard with him and listening to his encyclopedia of inappropriate jokes.

Well, here walks Alex Debrincat. Nicknamed “Cat,” Debrincat is no stranger to bringing the party to another level. Sure, there are times when he has held off the scorecard for multiple games on end, and you can hardly even notice he is on the ice, but when he is on…oh boy, is he fun. Luckily for the team this year, Debrincat has been on a bit of a heater as far as points go. With 8 goals and 9 assists, Debrincat sits third in points on the Red Wings roster.

So far this season, he has shown his ability to create chances even if he goes stretches without being able to bury them. The coaching staff clearly has faith in him to produce on offense, giving him ample amount of power play time on a nightly basis. It is only a matter of time before he heats up and goes on a patented hot streak of goals where you remember Alex Debrincat is part of the family and brings the attention of everyone.