The Detroit Red Wings defensive rotation still won’t match what could be one of the league’s best groups of forwards in 2024-25. But with a crew of solid players, they also shouldn’t rank as among the worst in the NHL, and the patchwork unit may at least hang in there while the top blue line prospects in the pool continue developing.
Such a fact made it rather difficult to rank them, or at least that was the case in ranking between the No. 6 and No. 3 slots. A few years from today, ranking the blueliners will still be hard, with Axel Sandin-Pellikka, William Wallinder, and Shai Buium, among others, likely working their respective ways onto the Red Wings - but wow, it will be a fun challenge.
But in the interim, how do those most likely to be in the lineup or at least seriously contending to be there stack up? Here are the top nine, starting with a newcomer and ending with one of the league’s better all-around talents.
9 - William Lagesson
There’s a chance William Lagesson ends up as a part-timer for the Red Wings this season, much like he’s been for most of his career. Last season, he played in a career-high 40 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks, with four assists and 14:48 average total ice time to show for it.
Lagesson, like many looking for quality third-pairing minutes, is someone who would be a great go-to when the Wings are looking to play seven defensemen or if they need a physical presence. Something to know about Lagesson is that, despite seeing poor goaltending in Toronto and playing for a bad Anaheim team, he finished the season with a 93.0 on-ice save percentage at even strength.
8 - Justin Holl
There’s still a good chance Justin Holl will be involved in a trade before the 2024-25 season begins, even if many teams have already set their lineups. Holl can still give an organization looking for one more quality defenseman top-four minutes, but it became clear as early as March 2024 that it won’t be with the Red Wings.
He could also end up playing for a team that could use someone on the third pairing, as his hard-hitting style and ability to prevent shots from going through scoring lanes prove his value. Of the defensemen listed here, however, he’s the odd man out and slated one slot above William Lagesson simply because he’s the more accomplished player.
7 - Albert Johansson
Albert Johansson won’t be listed at No. 7 for long, and he’s only here because he has yet to play in an NHL game. But he put up solid performances across two seasons with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, and if the Red Wings defensive rotation struggles early in the season, expect a call up.
There’s also a chance we could see Johansson make the lineup for the season opener and to be real, he’s not facing the most serious competition out there. In a worst-case scenario, he’s eventually making his NHL debut, and will move up in these rankings, and in a best-case scenario, Johansson will start the season in the Wings lineup and skyrocket up these rankings.
6 - Olli Maatta
Olli Maatta should start the year as a regular on the third pairing this season after his average total ice time dropped from 18:42 to 16:03 between 2022-23 and last season. Like Holl, he’s there just to log some disruptive, high-quality minutes, but there’s also a chance he’ll once again help create chances when the Wings have possession of the puck.
Here are a few numbers to consider: At even strength, Maatta finished the season with a 10.5 on-ice shooting percentage, his best mark since the 2015-16 season. Maatta was also on the ice for 34 goals against, again at even strength, with a 93.3 on-ice save percentage. Given the struggles the Red Wings goaltenders faced, that’s not a half-bad output.
5 - Ben Chiarot
I debated between putting Ben Chiarot or Erik Gustafsson here but went with the former after considering Gustafsson’s encouraging output in New York last season. Still, second-pairing minutes and physical play tell me Chiarot still has value, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see his average total ice time drop with Gustafsson’s arrival.
Something to consider is that Chiarot finished the year with 76 on-ice goals against at even strength and just an 89.9 on-ice save percentage. Those are better numbers than we saw last season - 83 goals against and an 88.6 on-ice save percentage at even strength, but they’re still nowhere near where they need to be.
4 - Erik Gustafsson
A journeyman for sure, but one who more than deserves to move up and log second-pairing minutes, and it’s something the Red Wings must seriously consider. Gustafsson knows how to produce points despite just 18:49 career average total ice time.
With the New York Rangers last season, Gustafsson finished the season with six goals and 31 points in 76 games, and perhaps that number increases on what could be one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams. He’s been an underutilized player, so maybe that will change for the upcoming season.
3 - Simon Edvinsson
Simon Edvinsson has a good chance to move up to No. 2 in these rankings as he’ll enter what should be his first full season in the NHL. He played in just 16 games last year and contributed two points, but he managed to get in front of 25 shots and land 26 body checks, and he broke even in on-ice goals scored compared to on-ice goals against at 13. Edvinsson also saw time on the penalty kill, and he should be on the unit full-time this season.
I often won’t rank players who only have a handful of experience in NHL games this high, but the Red Wings blue line could still be a liability, and Edvinsson is one player I can see catching on shortly after the puck drops in October.
2 - Jeff Petry
Jeff Petry has had a long career, but he’s still proven to be a valuable player, evidenced by a solid 24 points, 134 blocks, and 150 hits last season. One fun fact is that Petry’s on-ice shooting percentage was a career-best 10.3 percent, and with the Red Wings slated to be big scorers again, it wouldn’t surprise me if he set another career-high.
Because of his age, I also believe there’s a good chance he will cede ice time to younger players like Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson, but his impact, both on the ice and as a mentor, will continue to be felt.
1 - Moritz Seider
From a points perspective, Moritz Seider has yet to match his output from what was a Calder-winning campaign in 2021-22, but there’s no way I’ll claim that he regressed. Seider set a career-best in goals scored with nine, and he also set the tone as a physical player with 213 blocks and 211 hits.
Seider stole the puck 41 times, and he also helped create scoring chances often - a 45.6 Corsi For at even strength, with 39.6 of his starts coming in the offensive zone. Overall, it was Seider’s best season yet, but you can expect an even better campaign in 2024-25.
(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)