Season Preview: Detroit Red Wings
- Jason Moser
- Sep 7, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 4, 2022
Conference: Eastern
Division: Atlantic
Menu:
Offseason
Additions: Andrew Copp, David Perron, Ben Chiarot, Dominik Kubalik, Ville Husso, Olli Maatta, Mark Pysyk, Matt Luff, Austin Czarnik, Robert Hagg
Subtractions: Sam Gagner, Marc Staal, Danny DeKeyser, Thomas Greiss, Carter Rowney, Mitchell Stephens
It's clear Steve Yzerman and company wanted to make some splashes this offseason, in hopes that the Red Wings are ready to take the next step and push for the playoffs. They certainly did so by signing top-six forwards Copp and Perron, and beefing up their defense with the stay-at-home Chiarot. In net, Husso joins Alex Nedeljkovic to form an unproven but flashy duo.
Injury Report
Probable For Opener: -None-
Questionable For Opener: -None-
Out To Begin Season: Robby Fabbri (Knee), Jake Walman (Shoulder), Mark Pysyk (Achilles)
Out For Season: -None-
Detroit will be without some supporting players in Fabbri, Walman, and newcomer Pysyk for at least a month to begin the season. The main nucleus of the team, however, expects to be fully healthy.
Projected Lineup
(league ranks in parentheses)
Forwards (25th)
Tyler Bertuzzi - Dylan Larkin - Lucas Raymond
Jakub Vrana - Andrew Copp - David Perron
Dominik Kubalik - Pius Suter - Filip Zadina
Michael Rasmussen - Joe Veleno - Oskar Sundqvist
Defense (30th)
Ben Chiarot - Moritz Seider
Olli Maatta - Filip Hronek
Jordan Oesterle - Gustav Lindstrom
Goalies (7th)
Ville Husso
Alex Nedeljkovic
The top-six forward group sees drastic improvement with a new-look second line in Vrana-Copp-Perron. Kubalik rejoins former teammate Suter, but there's still another step needed by youngsters Raymond, Zadina, and Veleno to really vault this group to the next level.
The defense also sees new additions, but leaning on Hronek and Chiarot in big minutes should prove to hurt the team more than helping it. Detroit's bright spot is in net, where Husso is coming off a career year and Nedeljkovic slides into the better-suited 1B role.
Dynamic Players
Snipers: Jakub Vrana
Playmakers: Dylan Larkin | Jakub Vrana
Volume Shooters: Dylan Larkin
Play-Drivers: -None-
Shutdown Defenders: -None-
Shot Blockers: Gustav Lindstrom
Hitters: -None-
Enforcers: -None-
Penalty Drawers: Tyler Bertuzzi | Michael Rasmussen
PP Specialists: David Perron
PK Specialists: -None-
Faceoff Specialists: Dylan Larkin | Andrew Copp
Fantasy Impact
Studs: Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Moritz Seider
Duds: -None-
Sleepers: Ville Husso
Other Roster Worthy: Jakub Vrana, David Perron
With Larkin and Bertuzzi basically attached at the hip, they will be a great stacked option in your daily and season-long lineups. The reigning rookie of the year winner, Seider, will only see his powerplay time expand this season, leading to plenty of fantasy upside. Vrana and Perron are lethal shooters, and should capitalize on any powerplay time they receive.
Husso's performance last season likely isn't repeatable, but even with some regression he should put up solid numbers. If Detroit can prove to be able to contend for the playoffs, he can be a later-round steal in your season-long drafts.
2022-2023 PuckLuck Projections | | | | | | | | |
PLAYER | POS | G | A | PTS | W | GA | SV | SO |
Dylan Larkin | F | 31 | 51 | 82 | | | | |
Tyler Bertuzzi | F | 39 | 41 | 80 | | | | |
Moritz Seider | D | 8 | 44 | 52 | | | | |
Jakub Vrana | F | 40 | 31 | 70 | | | | |
David Perron | F | 29 | 30 | 59 | | | | |
Andrew Copp | F | 22 | 29 | 51 | | | | |
Ville Husso | G | | | | 22 | 131 | 1249 | 3 |
Betting Impact
PuckLuck Projection: 81 points
Floor: 69 points Ceiling: 97 points
Projection Data Confidence: 66%
(League Average: 70%)
PuckLuck Odds:
Stanley Cup: +15000
President's Trophy: +10000
Conference: +4500
Division: +2500
DraftKings Sportsbook Lines:
Stanley Cup: +6000
President's Trophy: +11000
Conference: +3000
Division: +3000
While the future looks bright in Detroit, the futures bets are something to avoid this season. It seems the sportsbooks and betting public have overrated the Red Wings' additions, whereas the reality is that they're in one of the league's toughest divisions. It's difficult to see a crazy surprise run from the club.
That being said, this team will be fun to track throughout the season for daily advantages, especially if Husso falters out of the gate. They might be a good team to fade off the get-go.
Season Outlook
Division Projection: 5th
Conference Projection: 10th
League Projection: 23rd
Playoffs? In the hunt
A projected finish of 5th in the division puts Detroit in the playoff chase, but they're a good distance away still from the top four of Boston, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Toronto. Along with Ottawa, the improvements made may help close the gap, but also raise the competitiveness throughout the entire division. The Red Wings are likely another year away from being able to do some significant damage.
Will the Detroit Red Wings make the playoffs?
Yes
No
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