2024-25 Detroit Red Wings Season Preview
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- The status of Raymond and Seider's respective extensions is weighing on this preview as they're key to the team's fortunes for 2024-25.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @thehockeyguy
Join us on our discord to chat hockey, talk with others during the game, share pet pictures, and more.
/ discord
Order jerseys from Ben H Sports while saving 10% off the listed eBay prices by sending him an email regarding jerseys you spot in his listings. ben.hoogenband@yahoo.ca Just tell him Shannon sent you.
Support The Hockey Guy via Patreon / thehockeyguy
/ youtubehockeyguy
Instagram: thgshannon and thg_cats
Spoutible: spoutible.com/...
TheHockeyGuy.yt@gmail.com
Contact me via snail mail at:
The Hockey Guy
PO Box 13063 RPO Highstreet
Abbotsford, BC
V2S 0C4
CANADA
In the USA: some times it takes us a few weeks to get down there.
Shannon Skanes
1125 Fir Avenue
Suite 119
Blaine, WA 98230
![Shumake Take Episode 11 [2024 NFL Week 1 Predictions]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CVCMYb7qlRY/mqdefault.jpg)
![[DOKKAN BATTLE] Worldwide Campaign Announcement Video Part 2!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JpT5Voak6WA/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you being one of the few non locals that actual covers the wings in a fair fashion.
The 1 point away thing is also deceptive. They completely fell apart when Larkin got injured. It wasn't close .500 hockey either. So not only does Larkin need to stay healthy, the team needs to figure out how to play defense when he's out. That said, looking forward to having Kane for a full season, and yes it still feels weird saying that lol. The expectations are definitely raised this year. LGRW!
Probably would of made it if Fester didn't run Lyon into the ground.
@BradTyler1984 what was his alternative? Husso was hurt more than not, and Reimer was completely unreliable.
@McSomething15 A .904 saves percentage that Reiner had was unreliable? Also Lyon also had that same saves percentage. You are right on about Husso though.
He was 11-8-2 with a 3.11 gaa. Yes he was unreliable. He would have a good game one night, then completely implode the next. He had zero consistency, which makes him unreliable.
Also, I'm pretty sure he was the goalie that ducked out of the way of a puck against Ottawa, in a game they lost in OT. And that just might have been the OT goal.
They gave up too much with Larks out, but that fire forged some passion in Raymond. As much as it sucked, it built us another leader.
Z still being 2nd is absolutely bananas
Ken Holland committed war crimes in Free Agency and Trades
What’s crazier to me is Justin Abdelkader of all people being on that list LOL
Bananas.. and depressing 😂
Those were some sad lists. Just shows you how bad things got at the end of playoff streak run. If Abby is on your list for anything but bad penalties you know you are in trouble.
He was on Datsyuks line for years. I believe that's why.
love the respect on rasmussen, he is undervalued. he is such a important piece for our team
Can you explain your reasoning
@@frequentsee3815 Just watch him if you have any questions.
Greatly overrated for his pick in the first round. He'd make good trade bait for a top 4 much needed D
Still a stud for 3 mil. You ain’t getting a top 4 D for him though lol “overrated” you seem to think he’s worth a good deal too lol
Rasmussen disappears in a lot of games, he gets injured every year and for his size and round pick he needs to score over 20 goals a year for his salary. He needs to have a big year this year if not trade him for a defenseman like sawchucksaves says I agree with him
of the 3 longest playoff droughts in the nhl (detroit, ottawa, buffalo) this is the one I would expect to end this year, but you never know until it happens.
And who are they going to pass?
Probably the capitals for the last spot if I were to guess
Where is "Ottowa"?
Ottawa, there
I don't think any of them end, I don't think the Atlantic is going to take both wild card spots and the top 4 is still the top 4 for at least 3 more years.
But if somehow the Atlantic did take both wild card spots I take Ottawa over Buffalo, Detroit or Montreal because at least Ottawa has a legitimate goaltender
Albert Johansson will be on the roster as he can’t be sent down without waivers anymore. Currently they have 8 Dmen on the roster.
For sure, Steve already confirmed in his last presser that Albert, Simon, and Bergrren will all be on the opening night roster.
Expect some movement on D before the season starts to break up the log jam on D
As a wings fan I’m expecting a similar year to last where we’re fighting for a wild card spot. The future looks bright but our defense wasn’t improved as much as I hoped. Looking for some young guns to step up(Edvinson, Johansson, Walinder). Petry is not a top 4 defenseman on a playoff team.
Anddd Raymond and Seider will sign in the next 1-24 hours
Armstrong will offer sheet them 😅
@@davidrmouck5608 Shit i would
Sabres should offer sheet Raymond 5 yr 6.5 million
It would take more than 6.5M per to get him
Ooft forgot about that
2nd straight Detroit video that Shannon completely misses Albert Johansson on the roster for next year, that Stevie Y said multiple times that he is counting on, and instead talking about William Wallinder who is all but certain destined for Grand Rapids this year... Other then that, good takes🫡
He's not a big name in prospects outside of Detroit. We'll see if he gets a chance.
Shannon also didn't state the lack of credibility of the reporter who "dropped" the story of Raymond not being close
Or how he had Soderblom over Mazur In our top forwards…. Mazur already is more successful in the AHL than Soderblom has ever been
Steve confirmed in his last presser that Johansson, Edvinsson, and Bergrren will all be on the opening night roster.
With so many of these guys long gone from the Red Wings organization, it shows you just how truly bad they have been over the past 10 years
I’ve been waiting for this one!
I do expect playoffs this year! Thanks Shannon!
LGRW 🐙🐙🐙🐙
Albert Johansson is also on rookie watch
As a Wings fan my concern lies behind the bench in Lalonde.
Yup. With his moves, Yzerman is implicitly telling the coaching staff that now is the time to make some splashes. They created some set plays and systems that lit up teams in the first month or two of the season but were then exposed by the rest of the league later on. Not to mention the team going through their normal post-ASG slump that they've had since their last playoff appearance.
This year, the focus is clearly on the coaching staff.
To be fair, the Red Wings have gotten better YoY since he was hired
@@DSled Seeing the team perform better has less to do with coaching and more to do with better caliber of players that are on the team.
The Wings still have a tendency to give up multiple early goals, late goals, and extended losing streaks…Most would say that falls on the coaching staff.
Its impossible to overstate how much the draft lottery hurt the Wings. It wasnt just that they never got any top 3 picks that really screwed them. It was being bumped back 2 to 3 spots every year. With all the Yzerman criticisms, nobody ever mentions how Detroit was bumped back in the lottery more than any other team during their rebuild. Seriously, the NHL changed the whole draft lottery BECAUSE of how badly it screwed Detroit.
I’m still in the Yzerplan patience camp. What I want to see this year is another step forward from the young core, more NHL looks for the prospects, and meaningful games in March and April. If we make the playoffs, that’s great but I don’t expect us to make any noise until Cossa or Augustine is our #1, preferably 1a/1b
Last season we had 3 ten game stretches where we just fell asleep. If they correct that it's going to be HOCKEYTOWN again
That crazy dogfight (or dog pile?) in the East for the final playoff spot at the end of last season was really exciting and fun to watch. I was hooked. The Panthers are my 'B' team, but I got more of a kick watching the Wings battle at the end of the year than seeing the Cats win it all. You have to accept where your team is in terms of development and be realistic. Like you said, it was only one point. The Wings have been consistently improving under Stevie Y, and I believe that they will make the playoffs this year.
LET'S GO RED WINGS!!
Pretty accurate there Mr. Hockey Guy, pretty accurate. Can’t use the word ‘expecting’ playoffs that’s for sure but definitely want some playoff action if we can get there!
Anyone saying playoffs or bust this year just doesn't know puck. Take a look at their puckpedia page for 26/27 & you'll understand the entire Yzerplan instantly.
My only criticism currently is that Husso should have been traded to fit all of the signings in Raymond, Johansson, Seider, & Burger 🍔
100%. People act like Holl, Chiarot, Petry, Husso, Copp are here forever. Lots of cap space soon... Copp is the only one of the "bad contracts" with more term, but the final year can be moved to a rebuilding team if really needed.
I’ve been a wings for a long time and it would be great to see them at least in the playoffs but I’ll take trending in the right direction. Either way I’m looking forward to hockey season.
The forward core is great. The blue line and goalies though is a little less than great to put it lightly. I think they get close again, but I have them just, just missing (wouldn't be surprised if they sneak in). 5th in the Atlantic with 90-95 points.
I don't think people realize exactly how far the Wings have come since Yzerman came back. Two years ago one of our top scorers, Bertuzzi, goes down twice with broken hands, and they miss the playoffs by not a lot. Last season, Larkin goes down at an inopportune time (also drop a 12 point WC lead within 2 months, but we don't talk about that), and were MINUTES away from making the playoffs. Assuming Seider and Raymond resign, this team didn't get worse in the off-season. I wouldn't say they drastically improved on paper, but they did get a little more offensive depth (plus a *hopefully* full year of Kane who proved he can still go). I fully expect them to make the playoffs, but they desperately need to avoid the injury bug, and the defense needs to somehow improve. Goaltending is...fine for now. At this point just waiting on Cossa and/or Augustine.
People see how quickly teams in the NFL and NBA are able to turn things around and have zero understanding of why that isn't possible in the NHL. Especially when you have the worst lottery luck, and drop almost every time you should be top 2 at worst.
People also don’t realize that the first couple of years Yzerman had something like $20 million in dead cap because he bought out the Abdelkater’s, Neilson’s and Howard’s. Ken Holland did Yzerman NO favors. Good to see he’s screwing Edmonton now instead of Detroit.
@@McSomething15 EXACTLY !!! People don’t realize that in the NFL and NBA you’re drafting guys that will play THAT YEAR. Plus…the Lions had Matt Stafford to trade…which absolutely set them up because Brad Holmes is a draft wizard. Yzerman had literally nothing of trade value aside from Larkin.
Larkin goes down twice last season both at the start of a month both months were atrocious (December missed 4 games 5-9-1 36.6% and March missed 7 games 3-9-2 28.5%) and the months before and after were good (November 6-4-2 58.3% January 9-2-2 76.9% February 7-3 70% April 5-2-1 68.8% (here is October since I've given every other month 6-3-1 65%)) I see it as no leadership without him and then when he comes back hard to get them out of the slump mentality until the month ends and they can put it behind them it's a great team if Larkin can stay healthy (excluding those two months they went 33-14-6 67.9% good enough to give 111 points if it was all 82 games and be 4th in the league 1st in the division) now I'm not optimistic we will get 82 games from Larkin (having only played a full season in 17-18 and 19-20(71)) hopefully tho someone can step up and lead if he goes down this year
I always hated how some fans ripped on Jimmy Howard. He was so underrated.
Howard was great bro i agree
@@thestifmyster1 Howard indeed was a good goalie but he had the bad habit of giving up some very questionable goals at key moments in games ie the playoffs against San Jose in 2010 , the playoffs in against Boston were he has the puck high corner boards way out of his net trying to handle the puck and he gives it away to the advancing Boston player who promptly scores into the vacated net !!! I could go on a long list of head scratching goals Howard has given up which all you would asked what was he thinking, is the pressure too much for him?
I started following the Wings back in '73. My thanks to the late Mike Ilitch for helping deliver four Stanley Cups. As for the current Red Wings, GO LIONS!
Not only do we get the season video for the year I started watching hockey, but it’s the day we get my hometown team’s review. A+ would subscribe again (if that was a thing).
i'm good with how things are going, LGRW
Likely Cossa/Soupy should be our tandem in GR.
Man, I love our forward group, but every time I see our D lineup, I cringe...
Yeah it’s going to be bad.
I still think they'll be in the same place as last season. Defense is still a big issue. Not sure the goaltending has improved. We need that Zetterberg career video ;)
In a world where our top 6 has Chiarot and Petry in it, the Wings are not looking so hot. I can't afford myself to let them think they will make the playoffs, but if they do it would be a welcome and long time coming reward for my continued Fandom during the past rough 9 years
As a Red Wings fan, I fully expect playoffs this season.
Don't forget, Buffalo was also "only one point" away from the playoffs in 2022-23, but then dropped off the following season instead of continuing their upward trajectory. Not saying Detroit will follow suit, but just a word of caution for those Wings fans that are overly confident Detroit will be a playoff team. I was the same way last year for the Sabres, and was quickly humbled.
Detroit has taken a step forward in points every season since Yzerman showed up though. I think that's where some of the confidence comes from. A step back would be contrary to everything we've seen to this point. Yes, it's still possible they slide back but highly unlikely.
@@bretplaygamewhy is it highly unlikely?
@@bretplaygame The Sabres were basically in the same situation. Kevyn Adams took over and they bottomed out in 2021 with 37 points in 56 games. Then they improved 75 points in 2022, and then 91 points in 2023 (oddly enough the exact same point total Detroit got this year). But then Buffalo followed that up with just 84 points in 2024. So just because Detroit has been trending upward does not guarantee that they will continue that trend.
Albert Johansson is in
Appreciate your takes. I think you have convinced me. I had Philly sneaking in and Detroit finishing five points back. But Detroit sneaking in makes sense to me.
Again is fair they are the NHL team that has won the third most Stanley Cups.
A competitive Red Wings is healthy for Hockey
The Red Wings seem like the prime candidate for getting over the playoff line this year, assuming no more brutal losing streaks or untimely injuries.
Depends on the goaltending. If it's better yes and they stay relatively healthy.
6 of 10 at home in October is deceiving. October is a gauntlet. Key Eastern Conference games against the NY Islanders, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Buffalo. 2 games against the improved Nashville Predators. A home and home against the NY Rangers and to close out the month, home games against Edmonton and Winnipeg. Seider and Raymond getting a late start in training camp, preseason games, or the regular season could torpedo any hope of making the playoffs.
Edvinsson and seider WILL be our top two, its just a matter of getting edvinsson on the ice to prove it.
I think we make the playoffs this year but not going to lie, the Raymond and Seider signings are key to do so.
I understand they want their due term and value as deserved, but I hope they also see the sense in shorter bridge deals that allows the addition of other players later on in order to stay competitive. Especially Raymond should realize that if he keeps progressing and reaches that 40G plateau on a regular basis, you'll be in high demand and will get your payday while still being on a cup contender.
I am with probably the minority in saying that I think we still trend upward in points but still miss the playoffs. Might squeeze in.
I said I wouldn't worry about Seider and Raymond signing until September. Let's just say at this point I'm concerned.
The Wings are my favorite team, but the Atlantic is stacked with great teams. I think having us finishing 3rd is optimistic. 1st or 2nd I'd love to see but it seems like wishful thinking to me. I predict we'll make the playoffs in the 1st wildcard slot.
Would like seeing Detroit make the playoffs.
As a devils fan, the wait is ubearable for the season preview lol
Ditto lmao. Watch it be last.
@@Ryyder64 haha yea, maybe he's holding out on the mercer signing.
@@nathanwoodcockn7184 nah it's probably last because they failed so hard after he picked them to win the cup and now every fan has to suffer that fate with him lmao.
Don't expect the Wings to make the playoffs this season and they might even take a bit of a step back. They might take a huge step back if Larkin or Seider miss significant time during the season. Some teams have improved while the Wings don't look like they improved much. The offense should still be ok but the defense is bad and the goalies can't make up for it over a full season.
I think they will make it if the goaltending is better and they avoid a lot of injuries. The big problem they have is other teams in the east will get better and they didn't do a ton in the offseason.
That'll be a hard fought between wings and caps next year. Devils gonna bounce back so it'll still be very hard for wings to sneak in
I’m just happy Kaner decided to stay in. It should be a fun season. I’m excited to see Tarasenko in a wings jersey as well. Hopefully we break through the playoffs. My hopes are not too high, but I will enjoy it either way.
I'm expecting playoffs this season.
On the one hand, Detroit was really close to the playoffs last season. On the other hand, they are clearly the fifth best team in their division and as long as New Jersey bounces back, it is unlikely Detroit will get the last WC slot this year either.
NJ could jump into the top 3 of the division, with eveyone else being mediorcre at best.
there arent more than 3 teams in the Metro who are better. they can finish 5th and still get in.
The rookie watch is danielson and mazur
Prediction: Nate Danielson will play in more NHL games by April than Marco Kasper will.
@@charger9105 😂 Totally agree!!
Sharks fan, but rooting for the Red Wings in the East this year!
F the sharks. Go root for another team. We don’t want your support.
I'm excited for this Wings team like I haven't been in years! They won't get the cup but they'll give us hallofa run for it. LGRW!!!
Let's get to goaltending
Just curious, I thought Albert Johansson was in the picture here on the blue line. Am I missing something? I assumed he would fit under "extras" but expected to see him on the board.
He just isn't listed.
@@TheHockeyGuy Fair enough. I was just curious. Some local guys seem fairly high on him. Thanks for the reply.
@@TheHockeyGuy yzerman has said time and time again they expect Johansson to be there in october on the roster. Lagesson I believe is destined for the ahl and holl or one of the other veteran dmen are on the move out.
I'm definitely not convinced they are a playoff team.
They don’t have the scoring on the bottom six to be honest.
Love the series
I'll say this: if we don't get Raymond signed, we won't make the playoffs. We lost too much point production with Ghost, Perron, and Sprong to not need Raymond's offense. He's key to this season if we're going to get a playoff spot
Danielson was missed for rookie watch, i think he is number one for sure. I think Yzerman continues to road block prospects, with too many vets signed. I think it was a huge mistake signing so many vets last year, when a rebuilding team didnt have any prospects in the lineup. I think the Yzerman free pass from the fan base is soon to be over, if u dont see this team have more young players in the lineup and no playoffs. Im not in camp of shitting on Yzerman for not making the playoffs, but the Holland treatment of the roster of over ripening prospects i will. Also, they 8 d-man on the active roster and at least 3 goalies. Have no idea how that washes out for the regular season.
Well they had the same amount of dmen and goalies on the roster last year. Lagesson is more than likely going to get sent down and johannson gets brought up. Holl he may buy out or send away. They had no problem going 11 forwards and 7 dmen last season multiple times.
So many goalies
Yet only one worth having and Lyon's a bit of a question mark.
Detroit fan who voted 3 or 4 reporting in. If we were in any other division, I would expect us to make a playoff spot this year. With the division we're in though, it's too close.
LGRW
Detroit may very well be the most interesting team in the league to watch this season. All the trends say they should be a playoff team and my gut feeling says they could have a really strong season, the problem is the top 4 in the Atlantic (Toronto, Boston, Tampa & Florida) are all stacked and the team they lost the 2nd wildcard to I feel got significantly better in Washington.
I feel like they cut the Islanders out and land the 2nd wildcard this year in all likelihood but their future should be bright in the next 2-3 years. I still think they need to trade Husso for some depth scoring once/if they sign raymond and seider
Washington was an absolute anomoly last year. No way that happens again. They also got the Dubois cancer injected into them. Washington is trending in the opposite direction as the Wings.
what is this, a whiteboard for ANTS?!?
Their forwards are so small though
That's not universally a bad thing, but I also have concerns about it
Two seasons in a row the Wings have just fallen flat on their face for 10-15 games. In both seasons those losing streaks sealed their fate for the playoffs. While there are obviously little things that can be done here and there to improve the team, when you look at it from a points perspective, they make the playoffs both seasons without those losing streaks.
So that said, yes, Detroit should make the playoffs this year, because they should have made it the last two.
The more I see it, the more I wish I got that jersey... sure I could still find it but not as cheap as the chicago RR
Brutal, never black
@@jmillerMAGA That's kinda my reason lol. Doubt we'll ever see black again.
You do the best hockey coverage continue with your best
Yes they will make the playoffs
I’m really not a fan of them letting go of Gostisbehere this off-season
Howard would fall into his own net on oneside whilst the opposing player for Montreal would skate around and out the other side and put the puck into the side that a not so nervous goalie would have been on that side of the post to at least attempt to make a save!!
The Yzerplan has well executed, but I'm not sure dumping Walman was the best way forward to improving the blueline that needs to improve. Did Walman leave his car in Yzerman's parking spot? There's got to be a plan to justify dumping Walman with a 2nd round pick for future considerations, right? Just how much do they think they'll be signing their RFAs for?
No matter what LGRW!!!
I think you missed the importance of Larkin to this team. If he isn't healthy, we aren't a good team. At all. I'm hopeful for the playoffs. Also, I'm curious how Danielson does in training camp and preseason.
Our schedule is brutal in late-March / April. If they don’t get off to an absurdly fast start, we are screwed. And honestly, the goaltending is still a giant hole. Don’t expect Lyon to duplicate his 2023-24 performance, and the defense didn’t exactly improve much. Edvinsson will be good, but he’s still a rookie and will make mistakes…
Cossa Augustine is the future. Play 'em.
Cossa isn't ready yet. Augustine wants to go back to college.
I think that they are more likely than not to make the playoffs this year, but either way it's not really the important thing. What is important is making progress towards becoming a Stanley Cup contender in a sustainable way.
In the last five years Yzerman has rebuilt the prospect pool from basically empty to one of the best in the league. It would be tempting to bring all of those prospects up to Detroit quickly, and that would rebuild us faster, but doing so would empty the prospect pool again. Once we are seriously going for the Stanley Cup, that will put additional pressure on the prospect pool. Always trading away top prospects or draft picks to get that last piece for a playoff push is how we got into this situation in the first place.
So yes, we do need to start bringing prospects into Detroit, but we need to do so no faster than we can replace them in the prospect pool. I'm willing to wait a few more years to become a Stanley Cup contender, if doing so means that when we get there, we have a contending NHL team and one of the best prospect pools simultaneously. That's how a team becomes a perineal contender for many years, not a flash-in-the-plan with just one or two real chances to win it all.
I expect first out again this year. If yaerman doesn’t get Raymond and seider signed this year the fan base is going to be calling for his dismissal.
Howard would leave his net against the Nashville Predators to cover a player who was already covered by two players all be it rather poorly leaving his net open for easy tap in for player skating towards an goalie less net?
Red Wings fan here: It’s going to be a tough road for the Wings this year. I don’t see them near the playoffs.Biggest reason is while Ottawa improved and Buffalo is due to bounce back/is just better, the Wings have become slightly worse. I see Detroit battling Montreal for last place in the division
Detroit could've completed 2 rebuild before Ottawa completed one.
And Ottawa is still a terrible team so who cares
Chiarot and Seider is fine if you actually watch Red Wings games. Chiarot's first year in Detroit was abysmal as he was dealing with off ice issues,
All I need to know is should I pay for Bally's Detroit or wait?
The margin for bubble teams like the Wings will probably be almost as thin as it was last season, so I could see the year going either way very easily considering how hot and cold they've run over the last few years. A lot of that inconsistency seems driven by recurring problems in net and a lack of options for puck moving defensemen with struggles to move the puck out of their own zone compounding iffy goaltending. Unless Talbot and Edvinsson make a bigger impact than expected, the playoffs look like a toss up.
Long term, it's going to be the next wave of prospects that put Detroit over the top with their rebuild and I'm not sure they're NHL ready besides Ed.
I live in metro Detroit and most hard core fans here think we got worse and we will be in the same boat as last year. Miss the playoffs by a couple points. We have less goal scoring and the defense is somehow worse. Larkin will start to show age and DeBrincat is a dud. Kane will wear down. And we lost ghost and replaced with nothing. Vlad is a great Perron replacement but that’s about it. Goalies are still a problem we just have more of them. Overall way less excited for this year than last
Flyers had to pull their goalie….
Just think, in a decade, maybe the Y-Plan will actually start working
They have so many good prospects, any wing fans able to update me on Cossa? I loved him coming out to the draft
Cossa had a rough prospect tourney last preseason, but pretty much killed it in GR after that, which as a Wings fan is a bit of a relief, because it was kinda getting to the point of "can he take the next step?" I think we potential see him in the NHL full time not this season, but next.
He is gradually trending upwards. His development is going well, but still needs time. If he continues to be more consistent this year, expect him trying to make the roster in 25/26.
LGRW 🐙
Missing the playoffs would be a huge disappointment
i love my team
Petry and Chiarot top 4 barf. Play the kids.
This team was as close as you can get without making the place offs.They should make it this year...Boston and Tampa getting older and depth deteriorating...
I think they will make the playoffs.
That dcore losing Walman is a massive loss and its bad need Edvinsson and Johansson to step in and be consistent top 4 dmen for them to have a shot at taking that next step which is a lot to ask but possible
I don't want to be a Debbie downer, but I don't know if playoffs are in the picture this year. Offense is there for sure, but struggling to keep the puck out of the net has been the trademark of this rebuild, and I think it got worse this summer... which is weird because a lot of the moves Stevie has made looked awesome on paper, like Holl, Matta, Ghost, Stetcher, Ned, Husso, Riemer, Bernier, etc., but they just haven't ended up working out in practice for some reason, whether it be chemistry or coaching or what.
Ghost and Wallman were the most defensively sound guys on the blue line last year and they're both gone. Unless Larkin, Cat, Kaner, Vlad, and Copp can outscore the weakness in the defense then I just don't see it happening.
I felt really good last year, especially when Kane signed mid-season and the Wings were SOOOO close... this year I don't have that same optimism when I see the off-season moves. Hopefully I'm wrong, I miss being excited for my Wings in April.
Edit: I also think it's baffling that any time Larkin gets injured that the team absolutely falls apart. With guys like Perron, Kaner, Compher, Cat, Chairot, Ghost, and so many other solid leadership vets, that the moment your captain goes down that the whole tent collapses.
Not just Detroit, but many commenters regards their mediocre teams as playoff contenders. I would always like to hear which better teams they will surpass in the standings. I never see that here.
Since they're going to slide in the standings they're not passing anyone but Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Philly will very likely pass them. Kane will be asking for a trade by New Year's.
Id Like to see playoffs this year, but not if I think they will get absolutely destroyed (rather have the higher draft pick). Im willing to be a little more patient since DET doesn't have a truly top 10 in the league forward, defensemen, or goalie to build around.
My personal timeline before I start to get annoyed and doubt the team/management is once Abdelkader's buyout is off the books (25-26). That's enough time to sign effective FA's that fit the line up and develop draft picks into key players, anything less than playoffs at that point is a failure.