Detroit Red Wings 2021 Season Preview- Only Up From Here?

Detroit Red Wings 2021 Season Preview- Only Up From Here?

My family is going to be very confused when they see my name at the top right next to Detroit. Oopsies.

Anyways, the Detroit Red Wings suck. And that’s not just the born-and-raised-Colorado Avalanche fan talking. They had 39 points in 71 games last season. That is the lowest points percentage in the league since the cap era. There is room for absolutely nothing but improvement in this team in the future.  

Key Additions: Marc Staal (New York Rangers) 

Staal played over 900 games in 14 seasons with the New York Rangers. He’s been a key part of their defense since stepping on the ice in 2007. Staal was sent to Detroit in a trade for a 2021 second-round pick. He has a really wide reach and stopped a lot of passes in NY, and I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to do that in Detroit. 

Losses: Jimmy Howard (unrestricted free agent) 

Howard was considered to be one of the best goalies in the league at the peak of his career. He’s 36 and has been with the Wings since he was drafted in 2003. Practically old enough for the senior citizens discount. (I’m so sorry. I had to. I would have died if I didn’t.) 

Forward Line Predictions: 

LW	C	RW
Tyler Bertuzzi	Dylan Larkin	Anthony Mantha
Bobby Ryan	Vlad. Namestnikov	Filip Zadina
Robbi Fabbri	Valterri Filppula	Sam Gagner
Darren Helm	Luke Glendening	Adam Erne

Defensive Pairing Predictions:

Dan  Dekeyser	Filip Hronek
Marc Staal	Patrick Nameth
Jon Merrill	Troy Stecher

In the net: 

Thomas Greis came from the New York Islanders in free agency. He was a very consistent goaltender on the Island, and in tandem with Jonathan Bernier, I think it’ll be a solid match up. Greiss is on a 2-year contract and Bernier expires this next offseason. If all goes well, they might be able to make some more offseason moves and trades for more improvement next year. 

The Verdict: 

The Detroit Red Wings are absolutely not going to the playoffs. If every other team in the National Hockey League goes on vacation, then maybe they can make the playoffs. They have maybe 3 core players on their roster, the rest of kind of just pieces and parts held together with duct tape and zip ties. They have quite a few prospects playing in European leagues which is really good for their future. Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Anthony Mantha are really what is holding this team together right now and three players are clearly not enough to carry a whole hockey team. I think this season is going to be a lot like last, especially with the 56 game schedule in the same division as Carolina, Dallas, and Tampa Bay. It’s just not enough to get the few skates they have, underneath them. Maybe in 21-22, Wings fans. 

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