The sun is breaking through the dark clouds of a long rebuild over Little Caesars Arena. The Detroit Red Wings under the watchful eyes of it’s architect, general manager Steve Yzerman, are emerging from a long rebuild. There is still a lot of work to be done. The team needs to go out and win more games than they lose. While the playoffs likely remain out of reach this season, the Red Wings are a confident, hungry group and aim to play like it.
26 points. That is how many the Detroit Red Wings need to make up in order to be in the playoff conversation. That is a large number. For a team and organization that is all but set to resume it’s winning ways, 26 points is a lot to make up. The team’s focus should be on closing that gap this season.
When Derek Lalonde was introduced as the 28th head coach in Detroit Red Wings history, he said over and over the team must be better defensively as the Red Wings have been ranked at or near the bottom the past several seasons. This preseason the Red Wings looked better in the defensive end.
For a Detroit hockey team that was above .500 last February only to come undone, more consistent play is needed. The Red Wings have some of their top prospects (Lucas Raymond, Elmer Soderblom, Mortiz Seider) set to impact on ice this season. Raymond is looking for an encore to a rookie season that saw him post 23 goal, 34 assists with 57 points.
Mortiz Seider is also looking for an encore to a rookie seasons that saw him morph into one of the best defensive players in the NHL and win the Calder as the league’s top rookie. 7 goals, 43 assists with 50 points and Seider is barely scratching the surface of what he can do.
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said that he expects the team to fight all season, and at the trade deadline instead of shipping players out, bring some in.
The Detroit Red Wings rebuild is nearly all but finished. Now the march towards making up 26 points in the standing begins. This should be a fun season in Hockeytown.
