Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Forman Faceoff 2015/2016 NHL Season Preview - Detroit Red Wings

By: Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff

Last Season: 43-25-14 with 100 points, 3rd in the Atlantic Division and 6th in the Eastern Conference

In their first season back in the Eastern Conference the Red Wings went on to finish 3rd in the Atlantic Division, ultimately losing to the Lightning in a tough 7-game series in round 1. The Red Wings added veteran's Brad Richards and Mike Green to bolster their offensive attack, adding to an already potent offensive team. Perhaps the biggest story of the summer was longtime Head Coach Mike Babcock departing to Toronto in a record $50-million deal. The Red Wings didn't change much as a team but losing Babcock definitely changes the structure of the team. It will be interesting to watch how Head Coach Jeff Blashill does in his 1st year with the Red Wings, but it would be unfair to compare him to Babcock (good or bad) simply because of his lack of NHL experience.

Forwards:
Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Justin Abdelkader
Tomas Tatar - Brad Richards - Gustav Nyquist
Darren Helm - Dylan Larkin - Johan Franzen
Drew Miller - Riley Sheahan - Teemu Pulkkinen
Extra: Tomas Jurco, Luke Glendening

Health will be the biggest factor for the Red Wings, especially regarding veteran forwards Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. The Red Wings are starting the season without Datsyuk and Darren Helm, and Franzen just returned from an 8-month absence with post-concussion syndrome. However the Red Wings have a great combination of veterans and youth, with Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist seemingly ready to take over for the aging Datsyuk and Zetterberg. The interesting player to watch is Dylan Larkin, who looks way more mature beyond his age of 19. Larkin will be able to learn a lot from Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Brad Richards and shape his game to become one of the elite centers in the NHL very soon. 

Defense:
Niklas Kronwall - Jonathan Ericsson
Danny DeKeyser - Mike Green
Kyle Quincey - Brendan Smith
Extra: Jakub Kindl

The Red Wings carry 5 of the 6 D they had last year, but adding a major offensive weapon in Mike Green this summer. Green gives the Red Wings a much-needed right-handed defenseman, and a guy who will QB their PP and provide a huge boost of offense. The Red Wings D aren't flash but they get the job done, and that's part of what has made the team consistently good all these years. It will be interesting to see how the Red Wings are structured on D with Blashill as opposed to Babcock.

Goaltending:
Jimmy Howard
Petr Mrazek

Now here is where things get interesting for the Red Wings: the goalie battle between Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek. As the season progressed last year Babcock lost more trust in Howard and gained more in Mrazek, to the point where Mrazek was their goalie in the playoffs at the end of the season. With the hiring of Jeff Blashill, the former Red Wings AHL Head Coach, their is some familiarity with Petr Mrazek as he was his goalie in the AHL for 3 years. Howard has been the longtime starter of the Red Wings and has had his ups and downs, but he still believes hes a #1 goalie. Both guys will push for the #1 spot until Blashill likes one more than the other, and in my opinion I see Petr Mrazek as the go-to-guy going forward.

2015/2016 Outlook and Prediction:
3rd in Atlantic Division, 6th in Eastern Conference

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