Guess who’s back? The Detroit Red Wings, tell a friend. Part 1

The turning point & the fresh to death Finn: Olli Määttä

Of all the possible names and turning points, the first that comes to my mind is Olli Määttä.

A stoic Finn with an unexpected sense of humor and warm persona chose the Detroit Red Wings twice. Some people might say the Detroit Red Wings were a last resort but I know general managers love safe, reliable defensemen with a pedigree of winning the Stanley Cup. With this thinking in mind, I find it hard to believe that the Detroit Red Wings were the only interested team in Määttä.

Regardless of the opportunities Määttä did or didn’t have, he brought with him a bit of a new look to the Detroit Red Wings blueline. 

The perfect compliment to a young, wild Filip Hronek, Määttä provided the stability needed for Hronek to spread his wings without crippling his team in their own zone. Hronek has since moved on to the Vancouver Canucks, earning a healthy contract (in both dollar and term), I have to wonder where Hronek might be without the help of Määttä. I guess we’ll never know, but Hronek seemed like a different player after he spent time with Määttä.

Whenever a defenseman needed a reset or was coming back from an injury, Määttä seemed to be the prime candidate to pair him with as the coach and teammates trusted him in any situation with any teammate.

Määttä was a breath of fresh air from the veterans of old. Previously, veterans arrived only to get a steady paycheck and a reliable place to live for 2-5 years. 

I see Määttä’s continued hunger for another Stanley Cup, dedication to the young defensemen coming up, and his reliability that the Detroit Red Wings desperately need.

It’s been a privilege watching Määttä play no matter the outcome of this season and beyond.

The ascent & a lazy goalscorer demanding a trade to Detroit: Alex DeBrincat

Before anyone jumps down my throat, please hear me out.

I don’t think this guy is lazy, and I don’t think anyone can really be that lazy and play in the NHL. 

However, it was speculated that Alex DeBrincat was lazy. 

This storyline came from a quote from his media availability when he joined the Detroit Red Wings in the middle of the previous offseason.

Rocking the slick Detroit Pistons hat (the retro teal) in the video, he seemed stoked to play for his hometown team. The feeling was mutual for us fans.

DeBrincat spoke some choice words:

Maybe it is truly laziness, as that’s the specific word choice of DeBrincat. 

When I watched him play all season, though, I didn’t see a lazy player. Instead, I saw someone who tried a bit too hard. He wanted to do too much. It’s quite the contrary of a lazy player, in my opinion. 

In doing these things, he gripped his stick too tight, put too much weight on his own shoulders, and struggled to find the back of the net.

Up until a certain player signed with the Detroit Red Wings, DeBrincat lit the ice on fire. He was everything that I hoped he would be and more.

Then, it was almost a complete 180. DeBrincat’s effort didn’t wane, but his effectiveness came under fire from both fans and outsiders alike.

To me, DeBrincat kept getting chances, so I had no worries about him last season (I also have no worries about him this upcoming season). If he wasn’t getting opportunities, wasn’t moving his feet, or he was making the same mistakes without reprimand, I would be concerned. 

I can hear a discussion about how his impact on the scoresheet needs to improve, but I always want more goals from every player so he’s not alone.

What’s more wild than anything to me is that he chose to come to Detroit, Michigan.

Granted, his family is close to Detroit and it’s his hometown team, but the Detroit Red Wings couldn’t have been the only team interested in a high-end goalscorer. I’m not sure of any other possible landing spots for DeBrincat, however, I tend to think he had better options in terms of winning, a better contract, or a nicer lifestyle (weather, tax breaks, subjectively nicer cities, etc.).

The fact that he chose the Detroit Red Wings amazes me. If Määttä was the turning point, where things kind of started moving in the upward trend, DeBrincat is the step in the right direction.

He made sure that, in doing his part, the Detroit Red Wings didn’t regress. 

Yes, he has to improve, as does the rest of the team. I suspect he drowns out the concerns from fans and then some. If he gets reliable, consistent linemates and continues to build his confidence, I think he’ll turn heads for all of the right reasons.

DeBrincat choosing the Detroit Red Wings also brought in another piece to this vast puzzle.

Upward & onward: bad guys becoming good guys? Patrick Kane

Good and bad are matters of perspective. 

As a Detroit Red Wings fan spending part of my life in Western New York, I was aware of one Patrick Kane. 

It hadn’t occurred to me that he would ever wear the Winged Wheel. I saw reports that the Detroit Red Wings and Kane had mutual interest, but come on. It’s Patrick Kane, he could sign anywhere, right? Right?

The closer it became to being a reality, the more confused I became (nothing new in my world).

I just didn’t understand why he would choose the Detroit Red Wings. If I’m being honest, I’m still not sure why. With the kind of contract he could get on the open market (longer term, more years), closer to family, or a chance to chase after Lord Stanley, I just find it…interesting.

Maybe outsiders will claim Kane’s washed up, old, and far removed from the superstar the NHL once knew–before the injuries and surgery.

However, Kane stepped in and immediately played like an above-average player. The notorious career-ending surgery wasn’t much of a concern after the first handful of games.

It seemed like us fans were being treated to a live-action movie rather than real life.

For a team starved of goosebump moments, I lost count of the number of times I had them throughout last season. I’ll admit many of those moments were at least in part from Kane. The other moments likely involved some combination of Raymond, DeBrincat, 

To know those calls had a similar impact on Kane, who has played in every situation and high-stakes game imaginable is something:

Would Kane have signed with the Detroit Red Wings if DeBrincat wasn’t with the organization? 

Thankfully, we won’t ever know, but I’m always curious about the “what if” scenarios.

Although Kane seemed to apply an indirect pressure to DeBrincat, which may have played a part in his lack of counting stats, I think in the long run that Kane signing an extension will be beneficial for the Detroit Red Wings and DeBrincat.

To me, it’s mind-blowing that Kane was so adamant to sign with the Detroit Red Wings in the first place. 

I didn’t peg him as a closeted Detroit Red Wings fan, but listening to him in his initial media availability, it sure sounded like he was one. Funny enough, he’s said things I wished most players joining the Detroit Red Wings would say. 

Compared to other players, especially young ones, Kane wasn’t restricted to YouTube highlights of former Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg and alternate captain Pavel Datsyuk, he watched it live. I can’t imagine the impression they must have left.

Then, when I heard both Kane’s media availability, he seemed to play things off like both parties were interested in signing him. Meanwhile, the Steve Yzerman media availability at the time made it seem like his party was a bit more interested than they let on, almost as if Yzerman thought it would be a good idea but didn’t think he’d have a chance in heck at Kane.

I mean, who thought the Detroit Red Wings would have a chance at Kane? I sure didn’t.

The most interesting aspect to me from this Kane saga has to be his contracts in terms of dollar figures and terms. They have to be some of the most relatively team-friendly contracts in the NHL.

It’s unconscionable that the Detroit Red Wings offered Kane the highest dollar amount or term, especially after the 2023-24 season came to a close. 

Even with a questionable reputation off of the ice, the matter of his health, and his age, there must have been a handful of teams rolling out the red carpet for him.

For whatever reasons, he’s investing in the Detroit Red Wings as much as anyone. I can’t wait to see who or what Kane brings to the ice next season, including the next player in this list.

**Vladimir Tarasenko enters the chat**

Who would have thought that not only would Kane join the Detroit Red Wings (willingly), he would advocate for the team, city, and suburbs to other players.

Vladimir Tarasenko talked to players about the Detroit Red Wings and mentioned Kane was one of them in his media availability after signing with the team:

Then, in Kane’s media availability, after re-signing with the Detroit Red Wings, he informed us that he relayed that the area is great for his family. From the school system to hockey, he likes it.

A two-time, goal-scoring Stanley Cup winning player sees something in this group of players speaks volumes. Loudly singing the dawn of new wings rising, whether it’s based on the veterans Yzerman brought in, the young players who are developing into real good NHL players, or the lifestyle metro Detroit brings, the Detroit Red Wings are looking forward instead of back.

Similar to Kane, it’s realistic that Tarasenko could have find a more lucrative deal or team elsewhere, but the draw of finding a nice place for his family overall seemed to the most important. The opportunity to play on the same team as Kane didn’t hurt the cause either.

In his media availability, Tarasenko mentioned he did not play on a line with Kane when they played on the New York Rangers. Kane is an enticing player, as is DeBrincat and Raymond. Larkin should center the top line for most of the season, while the second line center position isn’t set in stone. J.T. Compher is the most likely option, however, I wouldn't put it past a couple of prospects to give Compher a run for his money. I’ll talk about these prospects in part two, but neither is a defensive liability like a lot of young center prospects.

Healthy competition at the center position is a welcome sight and should bode well for Tarasenko’s next two years of hockey. 

It was music to my ears hearing Tarasenko say that the Detroit Red Wings are one of the most famous NHL teams in the world, especially in Russia when he was growing up. To go from playing as the Detroit Red Wings on his first PlayStation to wearing the Winged Wheel this season is something special and it shows in Tarasenko’s eyes when he talks about it.

The same energy can be felt throughout all four of these players when they talk about their Detroit Red Wings team.

Tarasenko, DeBrincat, Kane, and Määttä bring different elements to the Detroit Red Wings that we haven’t seen regularly for a long time. Even if they’re not in the prime of their careers, they bring wisdom, drive, and understanding to a team who can get lost at times.

Once nemeses, players who remember watching (or living through), at least part, of a golden era of Detroit Red Wings hockey are leading the way for the team. They get to write their own story. 

Although it started long ago, those tears and broken roads forged some of the toughest hearts. Larkin (and Brian Lashoff, but his story is for another day) has gone through the lowest of lows on the team. 

It reminds me of Captain America in the Avengers: Endgame. Captain America tightens his broken shield to face off against Thanos and his army. Barely hanging on, not able to properly walk let alone fight, but he finds his inner strength to move forward. Before his fate is sealed, Captain America is told to look to his left, where he sees his Avengers assemble at the last moment.

Giving me goosebumps remembering this scene, I also get them thinking about the road Larkin and his Detroit Red Wings are setting out on this season. No green screen or special effects necessary.

Regardless of the projections or recent history, the Detroit Red Wings are back. It seems like neither the NHL nor people outside of the Detroit Red Wings fandom are ready for it.

Are you ready for it?