5 Red Wings players who must bring their A-Game in February to keep playoff hopes alive
The Detroit Red Wings could make their first playoff appearance in quite a while, but they will need a strong February to keep their momentum going.
After going more than a few seasons without seeing a playoff berth, the Red Wings are sitting in the wild card and are closer than ever before to at least making an appearance. It’s true that the Yzerplan saw more growing pains than perhaps most anticipated, but it’s finally looking to be moving in the right direction.
However, the Red Wings can’t get comfortable, as they have three experienced hockey teams behind them looking to make a late season climb in the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils. Each aforementioned team has looked good in their first games back since the All-Star Break, and they could be getting hot sooner than later.
If a trend is brewing, it means the Red Wings must at least match their peers in the Eastern Conference, and that will require more output from at least the following five players.
Patrick Kane must pick up from where he left off when activated
Patrick Kane is hoping to be the first player in league history to maintain his health and productivity following a hip resurfacing procedure. And since he signed with the Red Wings midway through the first half of the 2023-24 season, he’s looked like his younger self on most nights.
While Kane hasn’t escaped injury since he debuted for Detroit, his 16 points and seven goals in 19 contests to go with 17:51 of average total ice time shows us that his landing in the Motor City was worth the risk. No, Kane won’t give the Red Wings much help defensively, and that has always been the downside of his game throughout his storied career. But if Kane looks as good as he’s had when he returns from injury, Detroit will remain a much better hockey team.
You also can’t rule out Kane from going on a tear either, despite the adversity he faced lately. The 35-year-old has been breaking down barriers since he had the procedure, so there is no reason to put limits on what Kane may accomplish.
Dylan Larkin’s epic season on the man advantage must continue
While Patrick Kane is the most notable name in Detroit, no one has contributed to the same extent as Dylan Larkin. He’s always been a solid performer throughout his eight-and-a-half seasons with the Red Wings, but he’s taken things up a rung through 44 games this season.
So far, Larkin has 47 points and 23 goals, both of which will encroach his career-high numbers should such production continue. But what he’s done on the man advantage at times has decided games for the Red Wings, with eight power play goals and 11 assists.
This is a continuation of what we saw from the Red Wings top scorer last season when he scored one more goal on the man advantage (16) than he did at even strength. His 15 assists at 5-on-4 last year gave him 31 power play points and 79 in all situations, so this productivity is nothing new for the 27-year-old.
If Larkin keeps this pace going or even improves it, Detroit has a better chance not only to win those close games, but to finally separate themselves overall. He only needs to stay healthy down the stretch to do his part in putting the Red Wings in playoff position.
Robby Fabbri needs to keep putting consistent pucks in the net
Robby Fabbri hasn’t scored often, but he’s on his way to having his best season yet with the Red Wings. He’s also one of those players deeper in the team’s supporting cast and on the lower lines whose play could also make a larger impact on the team’s trajectory late in the season.
This is because over the past season-and-a-half, Fabbri has been one of the Red Wings most accurate scorers, posting an astounding 24.4 shooting percentage and 20 goals. The latter number won’t impress everyone, but that isn’t the point. Instead, it’s the fact Detroit has someone on the bottom-six who has the potential to score at will, and that could be huge in the final two months of the season.
In that year-and-a-half span, Fabbri has just 82 shots on goal, which averages to just 1.24 per game. From now until the regular season ends, he needs to get that number up to at least 1.5 per, if not higher, and the Red Wings will benefit.
It’s also not like he’s a pass-first player, given his 24 giveaways in that span and 17 assists. And as far as this season goes, 2.0 in point shares, which is sixth on the team. Let’s see him shoot the puck more and watch Detroit further benefit from that production.
It’s long-past time for Ville Husso to live up to expectations
Following the 2021-22 season, Ville Husso was in high demand. Always one to bring in a brewing (or a big) name to excite a fan base, Steve Yzerman managed to add Husso to the roster, but the results haven’t been what anyone thought they would see.
Although the Red Wings have been a much better hockey team this season and are on the verge of playing a meaningful slate of games from now until the end of the season, Husso isn’t even the No. 1 goaltender at this point.
Given Alex Lyon’s recent success with 13 wins, a 0.922 save percentage, and a GAA of 2.51, it should be his net until someone like Husso proves otherwise. But as of February 7th, Lyon has just 60 games of NHL experience dating back to the 2017-18 season, and at 31, it’s hard to see him being the long-term answer.
Detroit could trade for a goaltender, and it would surprise nobody if Yzerman at least worked the phone lines. But Husso, given the 56 games we saw him play last season, was supposed to be the guy. Either he improves, or Yzerman improves the position at some point before March 8th.
Let’s see Moritz Seider take his play to an elite level
Before anything else, this section is not a critique of Moritz Seider, who has played extremely well in 2023-24. But Seider has also played like the Calder recipient that he was nearly two seasons ago.
If he takes his play up another notch, it will elevate this entire Red Wings team. No, Detroit wasn’t very good when he won the Calder, but that has since changed. So now is the time for Seider to officially take the next step.
Again, he hasn’t been bad, as Seider has scored 26 points and six goals in 50 games, giving him between 42 and 43 points when the regular season ends at his current pace. He’s also put up an incredible 13 points on the man advantage, and he is always invading scoring lanes and making opponents think twice before they skate near him, given his physical play.
But as things stand, Seider is an elite talent who has yet to play at an elite level, and he is a player who should find himself in contention to win the Norris Trophy. Instead, he’s playing slightly below that tier, but if he improves his play for the next two months, Detroit will be scary.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of February 7th)