The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan penned a subscriber-only article this morning analyzing the Red Wings’ likely 2020-2021 season divisional opponents. Kulfan believes that a Detroit team bolstered by free agent additions, playing in a revised “Central Division” for the shortened 56-game regular season, should play better hockey than their 2019-2020 forbears:
General manager Steve Yzerman added defensemen Marc Staal, Troy Stetcher and Jon Merrill, forwards Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov and goaltender Thomas Greiss in the offseason, greatly strengthening the Wings’ roster.
After having the NHL’s worst record (by far) last season at 17-49-5, the Wings couldn’t be worse. And they will not be, when you combine the roster overhaul along with the prospective new division.
The Wings, for one year, get away from the powerhouses such as Boston, Toronto, an improved Montreal team, and Pittsburgh, which was rumored to join the Wings in many divisional models. Instead, the Wings are reportedly going to be in the same division with Tampa Bay, Florida, Columbus, Carolina, Chicago, Nashville and Dallas.
Any way you analyze it, the Wings should be more competitive while playing a 56 game schedule against these teams.
