With all of the significant off-season additions such as Ville Husso, Andrew Copp, and David Perron, many expected the Red Wings would improve on their 32-40-10 record from last season. But through 13 games, the Red Wings have been one of the league’s best stories, currently sitting with a history of 7-3-3 and second in the Atlantic Division. Here are five observations of Detroit’s strong start thus far into the 2022-23 regular season.
Ville Husso separating himself as Detroit’s number one goalie
It was expected that the Red Wings would more or less have a near 50/50 split of the crease with Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic this season. In the early going, Husso separated himself from Nedeljkovic and appears ready for a starter’s workload. In eight appearances, Husso has a record of 5-1-2, goals against average of 1.86, and a save percentage of .941. Among goalies with five or more appearances, Husso ranks second and third in goals-against average and save percentage in the NHL.
Husso uses his size as a six-foot-three netminder as he squares up to shooters and can take away holes from shooters. Fairly or not, Nedeljkovic has seemed to be on the wrong end of most of the Red Wings’ multi-goal losses but played well in the second half of a back-to-back on Sunday in New York. It seems as, for the time being, Husso will receive the starter treatment.
The defense is still a work in progress
While the Red Wings focused a large portion of their offseason plan on improving their defense, signing Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Robert Hagg, and Mark Pysyk, there have been some growing pains.
Granted, that should be par for the course, as most nights have seen three out of the six defensive spots taken up by newcomers. Ben Chiarot was brought in on a four-year deal with the goal in mind of flanking either Moritz Seider or Filip Hronek. Paired with Seider throughout the first 12 games, there have been points where the two have seemed to miscommunicate, resulting in lost coverage and sometimes grade-A scoring chances against.
Olli Maatta has been Detroit’s most consistent defender and helped Filip Hronek rebound from an up-and-down 2021-22 campaign.
The bottom pair has been a point of concern. Robert Hagg and Gustav Lindstrom had been the two mainstays, but after a rough night in Buffalo and a lackluster follow-up at home versus Washington, Jordan Oesterle drew in for Hagg and has performed well, averaging a little over 14 minutes a game.
Jake Walman is expected to make his season debut this week after missing the first part of the season recovering from shoulder surgery. With Lindstrom averaging around 13 minutes in the past three games, it seems he may be the odd man out.
Raymond and Seider are beginning to find their games
It was apparent through the first couple of games this year that Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond may be overthinking their games too much after strong rookie campaigns. Derek Lalonde commented that both Raymond and Seider needed to take risks out of their games as, at times, both players were trying to generate offense at the expense of their defensive structure.
Lucas Raymond has looked dangerous in the offensive zone in the past five games. While Raymond spent most of last season on the half wall of Detroit’s first powerplay, the 20-year-old has found success this year in the net front position. After some line juggling, he found himself with Dylan Larkin once again, and both players complement each other well, as proven last season. After some line juggling, he found himself with Dylan Larkin once again, and both players complement each other well, as proven last season.
Three out of Raymond’s four goals this season have been scored on the man advantage just off the left side of the goalmouth, set up by Dominik Kubalik.
Seider has had the more extended adjustment period of the two but has slowly rounded out his game recently. Last season, Seider was relied upon to carry the weight of his pair and often would take things into his own hands and make risky plays. There has been a feeling-out process between Seider and Ben Chiarot, as both have had points of lapses in communication, leading to chances against them. Seider and Chiarot had their strongest games this past weekend against the Rangers and Islanders. Seider also found himself back on the Red Wings’ top powerplay unit and has been a big part of its success of late.
Kubalik is proving to be a worthwhile bet
After going unqualified this past summer by Chicago and signing a two-year deal in Detroit, Kubalik has seemingly found his offensive game once again. Currently, Kubalik leads the Red Wings in scoring with 16 points (six goals and ten assists) in 13 games.
With Tyler Bertuzzi’s and Jakub Vrana’s absences, Kubalik has scored top-six. One of many weak spots in Detroit’s game last season was their powerplay. Kubalik has given the Red Wings a real scoring threat on the right half wall with his lethal release that draws attention away from the other four players on the ice and has led to an uptick in powerplay conversions.
While 16 points in 13 games aren’t likely sustainable throughout an 82-game season, Kubalik did average 55-points his first two seasons in Chicago and is thriving with an increased role.
Larkin is showing his worth
Twelve games into the final year of his five-year extension, Dylan Larkin is once again Detroit’s most important player. Whether offensively or defensively, Larkin has set the tone for the Red Wings and has been an integral part of their early success. Larkin has notched six goals in nine assists to start the year, second to Dominik Kubalik for the team lead.
The further the year progresses, the more it seems that Dylan Larkin’s next contract will increase, given the market comparables such as Mat Barzal and Tage Thompson, who signed extensions before the regular season. If Larkin can continue his strong play across an entire season, he will have much more ammunition heading into negotiations on his next deal. Either way, Larkin is a valuable piece for the Red Wings now and moving forward as they set their sights on Stanley Cup contention.
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