Detroit Red Wings season preview
Last season was a step in the right direction for the Detroit Red Wings. After a busy offseason of adding players to this roster, most noticeably Alex DeBrincat, it feels like this team could take a big leap in the 2023-24 season. With that said, I’m still not ready to call the Red Wings a playoff team and neither is DraftKings Sportsbook, as they are +230 to make the postseason.
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Offense
Detroit finished in the bottom 10 of multiple offensive categories in the 2022-23 season, but this team got much stronger over the offseason. The Red Wings only averaged 2.89 goals per game while having the third-worst high-danger chances per 60 (10.14), but they did happen to finish in the middle of the pack with a 21.1% power play.
Over the summer, this team added DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong and Klim Kostin up front, making them a stronger offensive group than last year, especially down the middle with the three ex-Michigan Wolverines (Dylan Larkin, J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp). I wouldn’t consider Detroit to be an elite offensive team, but they will definitely be better than last season.
Defense
I think it’s fair to say that Detroit was incredibly average in their own end last season. They added Shayne Gostisbehere, Jeff Petry, and Justin Holl on the back end, which nicely rounds out their blue line, but I still think there will be some struggles in their own zone. Moritz Seider didn’t have the strongest sophomore season after winning the Rookie of the Year in 2022, but he is a player who can certainly bounce back. Detroit should finish in the middle of the pack defensively.
Goaltending
Ville Husso will be the Red Wings go-to guy in the blue paint as he enters his second season with the group. Last year was a down year for him after a stellar 2021-22 season, but he started in 18 more games than he did the season prior. He will take on most of the work, but the organization acquired James Reimer to come in and back him up. The 35-year-old veteran has spent the last two seasons on a poor San Jose Sharks team so this could be a nice fresh start for Reimer. Detroit’s goaltending isn’t elite, but it’s good enough to help them compete.
Player To Watch – F Alex DeBrincat
After a down year with the Ottawa Senators, DeBrincat is returning home to play for his beloved Red Wings. He has had two 40+ goal seasons and is easily capable of doing that as a member of the Red Wings, and he will certainly give this team an offensive boost. This is going to be a fresh start for DeBrincat, and I believe that he will benefit a ton from playing alongside Larkin. I can see DeBrincat reaching a new career-high in points this season.
Outlook
The Red Wings are getting close to the end of what feels like a very long rebuild, but they’re not quite ready yet to make the playoffs. They’ll remain competitive in the standings, but I expect them to fall short of a postseason appearance.
