The Athletic’s Max Bultman makes 10 “bold predictions” about the Red Wings’ season to come:
7. Detroit has a winning record in March
Boldness level: 6/10
Confidence level: 7/10This one doesn’t feel like it should be bold. And yet, well, you know. Detroit went 4-10 last March and 3-9-2 the year before that. They were also 5-9-1 in 2022-23. Simply put, it’s been their undoing as they’ve tried to turn the corner.
But not this year. Not with a schedule that, at least today, looks much simpler to navigate.
Detroit will still see some tough teams, with Vegas, Florida, Tampa, Dallas and New Jersey all on the schedule (and the latter four all on the same early-March road trip). But the schedule as a whole is much more balanced, with playoff long shots such as Calgary, Buffalo, Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh also on tap.
I think the Red Wings will be focused on righting their wrongs with a better March, so I’ll say they manage to stay just above .500 at 8-6.
8. Red Wings have a new highest-paid player by 2026 opening night
Boldness level: 6.5/10
Confidence level: 7/10The NHL’s rising salary cap shouldn’t be news to anyone at this point. And even though the Red Wings don’t have anyone in the running for a Kirill Kaprizov-level extension, they’re still going to be dealing with the realities of the new market.
Jackson Lacombe and Luke Hughes each just signed long-term extensions with $9 million AAVs — before either one cracked 50 points.
So, with the cap set to go up yet again, what do we think that will mean for Simon Edvinsson next summer? The 6-foot-6 blue liner has a very real chance this season to get into the same 40-to-50-point range where Hughes and Lacombe have been thus far, while also being a trusted defender who doesn’t get much power-play time.
And with the cap going up the way it is, signing Edvinsson to a bridge deal would just be asking for trouble two or three years down the road. So, I’ll say Edvinsson extends right around that new going rate for top young defensemen and surpasses Larkin ($8.7 million AAV) as the team’s highest-paid player.
Continued (paywall)
