The Detroit Red Wings find themselves at one of the most critical junctures in the team’s rebuild heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Having just missed the playoffs, on the final day of the 2023-24 regular season no less, the organization trudges forward with their sights set on ending an eight-year postseason drought – currently the second longest in the NHL. Head coach Derek Lalonde, entering his third year with the club, has a tall order to fill as expectations have risen in the Motor City after such a promising start to last season came up just short in the end. Detroit struggled mightily down the stretch which had many fans wondering if he was the right voice behind the bench for a team that is still trying to supplant its identity in this league. It’s a reasonable question is it not?
From an offensive standpoint the Red Wings’ improved by leaps and bounds last season. When you consider the additions of Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, as well as the emergence of Lucas Raymond, it’s not hard to see why. Detroit averaged 3.35 goals-for-per-game (GF/G), good for ninth overall in the league. But the team did struggle with bouts of inconsistency for long stretches, which was never more apparent than when team captain Dylan Larkin missed meaningful games in December and March. Larkin is the heart and soul of this team and I have to admit it was concerning that there seemed to be no sense of urgency – from a coaching standpoint – in the team’s overall game when he was sidelined.
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Ultimately, it was the blue line play and lack of consistent goaltending that did this team in. Defensively Detroit was a mess last season. The team gave up 3.33 goals-per-game which was the eighth worst in the league. Moritz Seider was overworked in 2023-24, playing some of the toughest minutes in the NHL. I’m interested to see where his level of play is at with a full season of Simon Edvinsson in the fold. While Ben Chiarot had a much better season defensively – compared to his first year with the club – he still suffered from bouts of inconsistency during important stretches. Jeff Petry struggled in all facets of the game and only saw a slight uptick in his play when he was paired with Seider toward the end of the season.
Fan favorite Jake Walman, now with the San Jose Sharks, registered very favorable…
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