NHL Season Preview 2016-17: Detroit Red Wings

Will the Detroit Red Wings advance their playoff streak to 26 years in the 2016-17 season?

The Detroit Red Wings’ playoff streak was in jeopardy last season. But thanks to a late season flameout by the Boston Bruins, the Red Wings extended that streak to 25 seasons. However, the Red Wings were not a very good team in 2015-16, statistically speaking. They were below average in both goals for and goals against.

Detroit got blindsided by the sudden retirement of center Pavel Datsyuk. Luckily, they traded his contract to the Arizona Coyotes so they were able to make some offseason improvements. However, they did not spend that money too wisely. This could be the season that their playoff streak ends.

Offseason Review

Here’s a quick look at what the Red Wings have done this offseason.

Additions: C Frans Nielsen (Islanders), C Joe Vitale (Coyotes), F Thomas Vanek (Wild), F Steve Ott (Blues)

Losses: C Pavel Datsyuk (Coyotes), D Kyle Quincey, F Dan Cleary, F Joakim Andersson

Retained: G Petr Mrazek, D Danny DeKeyser, C Luke Glendening, F Teemu Pulkkinen, D Alexey Marchenko, F Drew Miller, C Darren Helm

Without a doubt, Datsyuk is a huge loss for the Detroit Red Wings. Even in his old age, Datsyuk was still very productive and served as their number one center. To help compensate for his loss, the Red Wings signed former New York Islanders center Frans Nielsen to a six-year deal. It could get ugly in the future, but short-term, Nielsen is still a very good center. Rookie sensation Dylan Larkin will be making the move to center to help compensate for the loss of Datsyuk as well.

Joe Vitale will likely hit the long-term injured reserve list due to concussion issues. Thomas Vanek is an intriguing one-year option. He has been a productive player in the past, though he is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro. Steve Ott is a decent depth forward, but if he’s a regular part of your lineup, that’s a bit concerning.

The Red Wings still have a logjam in goal, but they have more time to effectively evaluate Petr Mrazek thanks to a two-year deal. He is likely their future goaltender, but his slump to end last season is concerning. Danny DeKeyser’s extension is a bit confusing because he is a replaceable player and isn’t a strong puck mover. Luke Glendening’s deal features a cap hit of $1.8 million, but he’s certainly not an irreplaceable guy since he plays third to fourth line minutes.

Marchenko is a decent third pairing defenseman and he got a contract deserving of that role. Miller is a popular player among coaches. However, the Detroit Red Wings should have given his roster spot to a younger player. Helm’s extension is quite baffling, to say the least. Instead of getting younger, the Red Wings are getting older.

Player Spotlight: Dylan Larkin

Dylan Larkin’s rookie season is easy to overlook considering that his fellow rookies included Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Artemi Panarin, and Shayne Gostisbehere. Still, Larkin’s season was impressive with 23 goals and 45 points.

Because of the loss of Datsyuk, Larkin is a player who cannot afford to have a sophomore slump. He will be making the transition to center and because he is playing for Team North America in the World Cup, he will likely have to do it on the fly. It could be an easy one, as Larkin is a natural center. But playing center in college is quite different from playing center in the NHL. Centers have more responsibilities in the NHL than in other leagues.

It’s not like Larkin will have a strong blue line behind him either. Larkin could struggle next season because young centers benefit from having defensemen who can move the puck. Niklas Kronwall, Mike Green, and Brendan Smith are the lone three Red Wings defensemen who appear to be able to do so. That’s quite concerning, especially with Kronwall nearing the end of his career.

Larkin will be carrying the keys to the franchise moving forward. He has the power to alter their future by effectively replacing Datsyuk. It’s probably not fair to ask him to replace such a legendary center, but life isn’t fair.

2016-17 Outlook

The Detroit Red Wings are a bubble team going into 2016-17. They are going to compete with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, and others to grab one of the last two wild card spots.

Detroit isn’t as good as the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. They are roughly on par with the Montreal Canadiens except that the Canadiens have an elite goaltender in Carey Price who masks their flaws. Mrazek is good, but he isn’t capable of having that level of influence. Assuming Price stays healthy, that leaves the Detroit Red Wings fighting for a wild card spot.

The Red Wings are clearly all-in, going with older players over younger ones. But looking at their salary cap situation, it could get ugly if their older players decline. Ken Holland has made some questionable decisions in recent years in an effort to win. But if he fails, he won’t be around to clean up the mess. And that mess could be ugly.