Will new excitement from a busy offseason and a promising preseason, the Red Wings will be a fascinating team to follow all season. There are many storylines this season, whether it be year two of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi entering contract years, or the potential of Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen, and Joe Veleno taking another step. Under a new head coach in Derek Lalonde, a new system will hopefully result in a competitive on-ice product in Detroit. Here are five bold predictions for the Red Wings’ 2022-23 season.
Jakub Vrana has his breakout season
It felt that the 2021-22 season was supposed to be Jakub Vrana’s breakout year before it was announced that the 26-year-old would require shoulder surgery and missed the season’s first five months. Upon arriving in Detroit at the 2021 NHL trade deadline, Vrana wasted no time displaying his goal-scoring ability, posting eight goals and 11 points in 11 games.
Vrana would make his season debut in March and picked right back up where he left off. In 26 games last season, Vrana scored 13 goals and added six assists. Under a new head coach in Derek Lalonde, we will also likely see Vrana get more opportunities in the lineup. From practices leading up to the home opener, Vrana will be slotted alongside Andrew Copp and David Perron, both coming off productive seasons.
From Dobber, Vrana’s most common linemates last season were Sam Gagner, Joe Veleno, Pius Suter, and Filip Zadina. While Vrana still produced at a high rate with those players, it is easy to see a reality where Vrana can produce more with higher-skilled players. Playing alongside either Dylan Larkin or Andrew Copp to start the season could allow Vrana to finally reach the 30-plus goal potential he has shown since he arrived in Detroit.
Moritz Seider finishes top five in Norris voting
The sky seems to be the limit for Moritz Seider. From day one, Seider was Detroit’s number-one defenseman in every situation at only 20 years old. Seider played in all 82 games for Detroit last season and had one of the best point-producing seasons for a rookie defenseman of the past thirty years, scoring seven goals and 43 assists. The question heading into this season seems to be how big of a step Seider can take in year two.
Even as good of a rookie season as Seider had, he did it mainly without a top-four caliber partner. Seider’s two most common partners last season were Danny DeKeyser and Jordan Oesterle, who are more suited to be seventh or eighth defensemen on a competitive team. Steve Yzerman brought in Ben Chiarot and Olli Maatta during free agency, and both have spent long stretches as top-four defenders.
Through the preseason, Seider has been paired with Chiarot, and it appears Lalonde will run that as the Red Wings’ top pair to start. Chiarot had an up-and-down season as he was expected to carry the load on a struggling Montreal team and stylistically never fit into Florida’s system. In Detroit, Chiarot can provide stability and physicality alongside Seider, freeing up the second-year defender and leading to more offense.
While Seider likely won’t outperform the likes of Cale Makar or Roman Josi, with a new defensive-minded system under Derek Lalonde, an improved roster, and another year of development, it’s not out of the question for Seider to take another big step.
Dominik Kubalik hits a career-high in goals
Kubalik took the league by storm during the 2019-20 season, scoring 30 goals in his rookie campaign and finishing third in Calder Trophy voting. In his second season, Kubalik continued to produce at a high level, scoring 17 goals and 38 points in 56 games, which across an entire 82-game season would come out to 25 goals and 56 points. But last season was a significant drop off for Kubalik, posting 15 goals and 32 points in 78 games.
With a tumultuous season in Chicago, many players on the roster struggled, including Kubalik, which led to many different line combinations and a lack of chemistry within the forward core. In his rookie season, where he found his most success, Kubalik’s most common linemates were Jonathan Toews, Drake Caggulia, and Brandon Saad. This past year, his most common linemates were Kirby Dach and Phillip Kurashev, both players who also had down years.
With the Red Wings adding much-needed scoring depth through free agency and young forwards Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen, and Joe Veleno looking to take another step, there will be plenty of talent for Kubalik to play with at even strength. One of the leading reasons the Red Wings pursued Kubalik after he went unqualified through free agency was his lethal shot and his potential to be a go-to shooter on the powerplay. Last season, Kubalik only scored three goals on the powerplay and will likely see an increased role in Detroit. It is also likely the 27-year-old will see time in Detroit’s top-six throughout the season and if he can take advantage of his opportunities, we could see a return to form for Kubalik.
Ville Husso establishes himself as a top-ten goalie in the NHL
The start of an exciting offseason for the Red Wings was kicked off by them making a splash on day two of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, trading their third-round pick for the rights to pending unrestricted free agent Ville Husso. Immediately after the trade, the Red Wings and Husso came to terms on a three-year contract carrying an average-annual-value of $4.75 million.
The 27-year-old netminder had a career season in 2021-22, posting a record of 25-7-6 and a save percentage of .919. For most of last season, Husso was St. Louis’s starter, beating out Jordan Binnington, but he lost the crease in the playoffs and struggled when Binnington went down in the second round. In the 2021-22 playoffs, Husso struggled, posting a 2-5 record and a save percentage of .890.
Husso will have competition in the crease to earn the full-time starting role as Alex Nedeljkovic looks to bounce back after a lackluster back half of last season. Derek Lalonde has indicated early on that both goalies will split the load equally, which will benefit Husso in adjusting to a brand-new system and defense.
While Husso is relatively inexperienced at the NHL level, playing in only 57 career games, he has shown the potential to be a top-end goaltender. The Red Wings have given him a total vote of confidence to be the starter, with him making starting money and having trade protection. With a young, up-and-coming team, Husso will have the opportunity to play a big role in Detroit’s path back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Red Wings finish in one of the two wildcard spots in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Likely the boldest take out of the five, as the Atlantic Division is shaping up to be highly competitive this year. While teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay will still finish near the top, there is uncertainty about how the rest will shake out.
The Florida Panthers made a big splash this summer, acquiring Matthew Tkachuk, but in the process, gave their best offensive player in Jonathan Huberdeau and their second-best defenseman in MacKenzie Weegar. The perennial playoff contender Boston Bruins are aging and gearing up for what is shaping up to be a “last dance” and will be missing Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy to start the season. All three of Detroit, Ottawa, and Buffalo made moves to support their young core and will all be competitive all season.
With the free agent signings of David Perron, Andrew Copp, and Dominik Kubalik, the Red Wings will have more scoring depth to support the likes of Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Lucas Raymond, and Jakub Vrana. Ben Chiarot and Olli Maatta will bring more of a defensive mindset on the blueline to support Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek. Ville Husso will provide stability in goal and push Alex Nedeljkovic to have a bounce-back season, leading to more pucks out of Detroit’s net.
While it took 100 points to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season, more teams at the bottom will take points from the contenders. With their offseason moves, Detroit is well-positioned to make a push for one of the two wildcard spots.
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