NHL.com’s William Douglas posted a season preview for the Detroit Red Wings this morning. Here are his “3 Keys” to the Wings getting off to a fast start:
1. Jell quickly: General manager Steve Yzerman bolstered the roster from front to back with the additions of forwards Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher and Daniel Sprong, center Klim Kostin, defensemen Jeff Petry and Shayne Gostisbehere and goalie James Reimer. These key additions must mesh with the existing core if the Red Wings hope to move up in the Eastern Conference and end their seven-year Stanley Cup Playoffs drought.
2. Score more: Detroit finished 24th in the NHL in goals last season (237) and hasn’t had a 40-goal scorer since Marian Hossa in 2008-09. That could end with the addition of DeBrincat, who scored 41 goals twice with the Chicago Blackhawks (2018-19, 2021-22). He had 66 points (27 goals, 39 assists) for the Ottawa Senators last season and joins an offense led by captain Dylan Larkin who had an NHL career-high 79 points (32 goals, 47 assists) in 80 games last season. The Red Wings should have more firepower with Compher, who had 52 points (17 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games with the Colorado Avalanche last season, and Sprong, who had an NHL career-high 46 points (21 goals, 25 assists) in 66 games with the Seattle Kraken.
3. Better net results: Detroit ranked 22nd in the League in goals against last season (3.35 per game). Goalie Ville Husso had NHL career highs in games played (56), wins (26) and shutouts (four) last season, but struggled down the stretch, when he was 1-6-1 with a 4.32 goals-against average and .839 save percentage in his final eight games. Reimer, who signed on July 1 to be Husso’s backup, was 12-21-8 with a 3.48 GAA, .890 save percentage and three shutouts in 43 games (41 starts) with the San Jose Sharks last season. Should Reimer falter, Detroit also signed Alex Lyon, whose six-game winning streak helped propel the Florida Panthers into the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. He was 9-4-2 with a 2.89 GAA, .912 save percentage and one shutout in 15 games (14 starts) for the Panthers.
Continued; the Red Wings would probably agree with Douglas’ “3 Keys.” The team’s turned over about 40% of its roster, so it definitely needs to form bonds and familiarity in short order; the Wings do want to score more, and help Ville Husso keep pucks out of the back of his own net, too.
